Avoid EMBARRASSING Mistakes in English - STOP Confusing These Words!

Hello and welcome back to English with Lucy. Do not mix up these words. These

Lucy. Do not mix up these words. These

are words that sound the same but mean totally different things. They are

called homophones and when we mix them up, it can lead to some hilarious misunderstandings.

So, let's make sure that you never confuse a bear butt with a bear butt again.

And if you really want to sort out your aisles from your aisles, you are going to need the PDF that goes with this lesson. I've made it for you for free.

lesson. I've made it for you for free.

It contains all of the information in this video, plus five extra pairs of confusing homophones and a link to some secret exercises so you can practice

what you've learned and make sure that you understand and remember them all. To

download that for free, just click on the link in the description box or you can scan that QR code there. You join my mailing list and the PDF will arrive

directly in your inbox. Let's begin.

What comes to mind when you hear this?

She woke up feeling a little horse after the concert.

Now, did you picture a person touching a small horse as in the animal we can ride? I don't blame you. But it's more

ride? I don't blame you. But it's more likely that she felt horse with an a. If

you feel horse or you are horse, it means you have a rough or strained voice often because you've been shouting or

you have a sore throat. With homophones,

we often have to go off context.

Horse as in sore throat is much more likely after a concert. Next, listen to this sentence and decide how you think I

might start my day. I always start my mornings with the same serial drama.

So, I said cereal, which is the pronunciation of two different words.

One is spelled c e r e a l and that is the food some people eat with milk for breakfast like cornflakes. The other is

spelled s e r i a l and it describes something that's published or broadcast in several parts. The crown and peaky

blinders are serial dramas. We just call them series now. So, do I begin every day with some sort of excitement over breakfast cereal or by watching an

episode of a drama? Well, that's for me to know and you to just imagine. So, our

next two homophones are P as in a small round green vegetable and P, which is slang for urine, liquid waste from the

body. Usually yellow, hopefully not too

body. Usually yellow, hopefully not too yellow. You might need to hydrate

yellow. You might need to hydrate yourself if it is. So, which springs to mind when you hear this sentence?

The dog left a little pee by the door.

It could technically be either, right?

In the case of my dog Diego, it could be the vegetable. He never goes to the

the vegetable. He never goes to the bathroom inside when he was a puppy.

Let's just say that accidents did happen. Okay, moving on. If someone

happen. Okay, moving on. If someone

tells you there's a leak in the kitchen, should you panic?

Maybe. It all depends on whether they're talking about the long green and white vegetable related to the onion. It is

spelled with a double E, L, E, E, K.

That's a perfectly normal thing to find in the kitchen. But a leak spelled L E A K, that's something to worry about. This

kind of leak is a small hole or crack that lets liquid or gas escape. Notice

that the words are pronounced with the long e sound. Leak. Leak. Not the short i sound. Lick. You could have a lick in

i sound. Lick. You could have a lick in the kitchen. It would hopefully be cake

the kitchen. It would hopefully be cake batter. Next up, let's test you. Native

batter. Next up, let's test you. Native

speakers included. I know some of you watch my videos. You're very welcome here. Which spelling of the word isle do

here. Which spelling of the word isle do I probably need here. Come to the

biscuit aisle. Is it I S L E or A I S L

biscuit aisle. Is it I S L E or A I S L E?

Well, the second spelling is the most likely. It's not impossible that it

likely. It's not impossible that it would be I sle E, but the second spelling is most likely in this sentence. It most likely refers to the

sentence. It most likely refers to the passage between shelves in a shop. So

imagine that I'm calling out to my husband to come over and check out some tasty biscuits.

Isle. I s L E is another word for island. Now remember that in island,

island. Now remember that in island, isle, and isle, all spellings just mentioned, the S is silent. An island

made of biscuits sounds like heaven, but as far as I know, it doesn't yet exist.

There is a place called the South Sandwich Islands, though. Now, do you know that there's another word that's a homophone for isle and isle? Well, it's

isle obviously spelled I apostrophe L.

And that's the contraction of I will.

All right, next homophones. Listen and

form a picture in your mind of what I'm saying. That's a barefaced lie. Did you

saying. That's a barefaced lie. Did you

picture a bear, the animal, telling a lie? Well, that's what I always thought

lie? Well, that's what I always thought it meant when I was little. But

barefaced means open and not ashamed.

Your face is bare. It's open for everyone to see. A barefaced lie is a deliberate and shameless lie told without any attempt to hide the fact

that it's untrue. It's got nothing to do with bears the animal spelled B E A R.

So B A R E bear can mean not covered by anything, which is probably the meaning this word developed from. You also might know the phrase the bare necessities,

meaning the basic necessities. It's a

title of a song in the film The Jungle Book and was sung by Blue, who is a bear. I love a good pun. Now, let's

bear. I love a good pun. Now, let's

stick with our bears for this next one.

This is tricky. What do you imagine when you hear this sentence? I think that's a bear, but I'm not sure.

Okay.

What do you think I mean? So, there's a lot going on in this sentence. We have

two sets of homophones, bear and butt.

Now, first there's bear, b e a r as in the animal, but also bear, b a r e, meaning without clothes. And then

there's but which introduces a contrast like however. But with a double t, b u t

like however. But with a double t, b u t is the part of your body that you sit on. I'm sitting on mine right now. But

on. I'm sitting on mine right now. But

is more common in American English. Bum

or bottom in British English. So, how

will you ever know what I saw? Well,

you'll have to listen closely to my stress and intonation. I think that's a bear, but I'm not sure. My voice goes up slightly on bear. I pause slightly and

then I continue. If I say I think that's a bear, but I'm not sure. I say bear butt together quickly with no pause,

then I pause and I continue. In this

context, it could be a bear's bum or maybe I've spotted someone's naked bum.

This might seem ridiculous, but playing with words like this word play forms a huge part of British comedy. Okay, let's

move on from body parts. Now, listen to this sentence. What is the problem that

this sentence. What is the problem that I need to address? We need to address the whole issue. Okay. So, I might have

a problem with a hole, as in an empty space in a solid surface like this. In

this case, we would often put more emphasis on whole. We need to address the whole issue. Or I might want to address the entire or complete issue.

That's spelled with a silent W at the beginning. W H O L E. In this case, I

beginning. W H O L E. In this case, I might put more emphasis on issue. We

need to address the whole issue. Okay.

Our final pair of homophones. What do

you imagine when you hear this sentence?

He pulled a hair out of his hat. Was it

a hair? H A I R. The thin threads that grow on a person's head. Or did you imagine a magician pulling an animal

like a big rabbit called a hair out of a hat? In that case, the spelling would be

hat? In that case, the spelling would be H A R E. Both work. I guess the second is more likely if you're doing a magic show. Okay, now it's time for a quiz.

show. Okay, now it's time for a quiz.

I'm really interested to see how much you've learned. So, keep score and let

you've learned. So, keep score and let me know in the comments. Number one,

when I go camping, I only pack the bare necessities. Coffee and chocolate. B A R

necessities. Coffee and chocolate. B A R E or B E A R.

It's B A R E the bare necessities meaning the basic essentials. Two. She

read the whole book in one day. Is it

whole with a W or without?

It's more likely to be holes starting with a W as in complete or entire unless it's a book about holes. I did read a

book called Holes once. It was quite good. I guess either could be correct

good. I guess either could be correct there. Number three, that new cereal you

there. Number three, that new cereal you bought is delicious.

Is it cereal starting with C or cereal beginning with S?

It should be C E R E A L as in breakfast cereal. Four. I just saw a huge hair

cereal. Four. I just saw a huge hair running across the field. Which spelling

should we use here?

It should be h a r e like a large rabbit, not h a i r like the hair on your head. And finally, number five. We

your head. And finally, number five. We

spent our honeymoon on a deserted aisle.

How should you spell isle? Well,

hopefully you said I l e as in Ireland.

If you said a i l e, then they spent their honeymoon in a supermarket or on the passageway going down a church, a deserted one. That would be depressing. So, what was your score out

depressing. So, what was your score out of five? Let me know in the comments.

of five? Let me know in the comments.

And tell me which other homophones you find confusing because I might put them in a future video. And don't forget to download the PDF that goes with this video. You can click on the link in the

video. You can click on the link in the description box or scan the QR code there. I will see you soon for another

there. I will see you soon for another lesson.