Uploaded October 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Homophones are words which have the same pronunciation but are spelled differently. In this video, you'll learn 10 intermediate-level homophonic word groups such as "aisle," "I'll," and "isle"; "allowed" and "aloud"; and "choose" and "chews". Besides improving your vocabulary and preventing a misunderstanding, often the double-meaning of these spoken English words can be the key to understanding jokes. So check this out and test your understanding of these words by doing the quiz at engvid.com/intermediate-english-homophones . Thanks for clicking, and make sure to watch my earlier video with homophones for beginners: youtube.com/watch?v=a6zpryGgsYc
TRANSCRIPT: Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this intermediate lesson on homophones. So this is level two of my homophones series. And if you watched my beginner video and you feel comfortable with the idea of homophones, and you've mastered "your" and "you're"; and "there", "their", "they're"; and "its" and "it's" - fantastic. And now we're going to level up and go to the intermediate stage.
So, as a reminder, homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and they have a different meaning. So today we are going to look at ten more homophones or series of words that have different spellings, but have the same pronunciation and different meanings.
Number one, this is a threefer, which means like three here. So we have: "I'll", "aisle", "isle". Now, I should put a star beside "I'll". Some people do not pronounce it as "I'll", some people pronounce it as "I'll", okay? Like: "I'll call you later." But a lot of people also pronounce it as "I'll", which is "I will", okay? And then this is "aisle". An aisle is a walkway. Now, it is specifically a walkway that is between a section or two sections of shelves or chairs. When you go to the movie theatre you walk up the aisle. Okay? It's a walkway, a space between, you know, when you have things on both sides. When you go to the grocery store, you walk in different aisles. -"Where's the salt?" -"It's in aisle three." -"Where's the cereal?" -"It's in aisle five", for example. And "isle", this is just the short form for "island". Okay? So, example: "I'll meet you in aisle three." If you're talking or texting with your significant other, your wife, your husband, your boyfriend: -"Where are you?" -"I'm buying milk. What are you doing?" -"I'm buying this." -"Okay. I'll meet you in aisle three." That's where the... I don't know, what's something that people like to eat? That's where the chocolate is. People like chocolate, right? Okay. And another example: "The Isle of Man is in the Irish Sea." So, the Isle of Man is a place which has an awesome flag, and it's located in the Irish Sea. It's the flag with, like, three legs and a circle. It's pretty cool.
So, next: "allowed" and "aloud". So, "allowed", "a-l-l-o-w-e-d" just means you are permitted to do something, you are allowed. You have permission to do something. "Aloud", this one might be new for some of you. This means to say something vocally. Now, instead of just keeping it inside. Okay? Vocally or with a loud voice. So, for example, in this class, if you're sitting in university for example, your professor might say: "You're allowed to speak your thoughts aloud." Okay? Don't keep them inside. Vocalize them. Say them. Use them. Okay?
And number three: "choose", "chews". The first one you're probably familiar with, it's just a verb which means to select, and "chews", this is the third-person version of "chew", which you do when you eat food or gum. Right? So this is chewing. So, a ridiculous example for all of you: "She chews gum when trying to choose her clothes." It's a weird habit, but she's like: "Okay, time to choose my clothes. I'm going to chew some gum and choose my clothes."
Homophones are words which have the same pronunciation but are spelled differently. In this video, you'll learn 10 intermediate-level homophonic word groups such as "aisle," "I'll," and "isle"; "allowed" and "aloud"; and "choose" and "chews". Besides improving your vocabulary and preventing a misunderstanding, often the double-meaning of these spoken English words can be the key to understanding jokes. So check this out and test your understanding of these words by doing the quiz at engvid.com/intermediate-english-homophones . Thanks for clicking, and make sure to watch my earlier video with homophones for beginners: youtube.com/watch?v=a6zpryGgsYc
TRANSCRIPT: Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this intermediate lesson on homophones. So this is level two of my homophones series. And if you watched my beginner video and you feel comfortable with the idea of homophones, and you've mastered "your" and "you're"; and "there", "their", "they're"; and "its" and "it's" - fantastic. And now we're going to level up and go to the intermediate stage.
So, as a reminder, homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and they have a different meaning. So today we are going to look at ten more homophones or series of words that have different spellings, but have the same pronunciation and different meanings.
Number one, this is a threefer, which means like three here. So we have: "I'll", "aisle", "isle". Now, I should put a star beside "I'll". Some people do not pronounce it as "I'll", some people pronounce it as "I'll", okay? Like: "I'll call you later." But a lot of people also pronounce it as "I'll", which is "I will", okay? And then this is "aisle". An aisle is a walkway. Now, it is specifically a walkway that is between a section or two sections of shelves or chairs. When you go to the movie theatre you walk up the aisle. Okay? It's a walkway, a space between, you know, when you have things on both sides. When you go to the grocery store, you walk in different aisles. -"Where's the salt?" -"It's in aisle three." -"Where's the cereal?" -"It's in aisle five", for example. And "isle", this is just the short form for "island". Okay? So, example: "I'll meet you in aisle three." If you're talking or texting with your significant other, your wife, your husband, your boyfriend: -"Where are you?" -"I'm buying milk. What are you doing?" -"I'm buying this." -"Okay. I'll meet you in aisle three." That's where the... I don't know, what's something that people like to eat? That's where the chocolate is. People like chocolate, right? Okay. And another example: "The Isle of Man is in the Irish Sea." So, the Isle of Man is a place which has an awesome flag, and it's located in the Irish Sea. It's the flag with, like, three legs and a circle. It's pretty cool.
So, next: "allowed" and "aloud". So, "allowed", "a-l-l-o-w-e-d" just means you are permitted to do something, you are allowed. You have permission to do something. "Aloud", this one might be new for some of you. This means to say something vocally. Now, instead of just keeping it inside. Okay? Vocally or with a loud voice. So, for example, in this class, if you're sitting in university for example, your professor might say: "You're allowed to speak your thoughts aloud." Okay? Don't keep them inside. Vocalize them. Say them. Use them. Okay?
And number three: "choose", "chews". The first one you're probably familiar with, it's just a verb which means to select, and "chews", this is the third-person version of "chew", which you do when you eat food or gum. Right? So this is chewing. So, a ridiculous example for all of you: "She chews gum when trying to choose her clothes." It's a weird habit, but she's like: "Okay, time to choose my clothes. I'm going to chew some gum and choose my clothes."
