Choosing the correct spelling of words that sound the same but mean different things: there/their/they're, your/you're, where/were/wear, to/too/two, hear/here, and practice/practise.
Where your child meets this in real life: Writing messages, stories and school work where the wrong homophone changes the meaning, and spotting these classic traps in the SEAG spelling questions
SEAGReady breaks homophones and confusable words into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Choose correctly between they're/their/there and you're/your using the expansion test: if you can swap in "they are" or "you are", the word needs an apostrophe.
Choose correctly between the everyday homophone sets where/were/wear, to/too/two and hear/here, using meaning clues hidden inside the words.
Choose between practice (noun, the thing) and practise (verb, the doing) in British English, using the advice/advise swap test to hear the difference.
Three free sample questions from our homophones and confusable words course. Every question comes with a full explanation, and hints that guide without giving the answer away.
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] Their going [B] to the pantomime [C] in Belfast [D] on Saturday.
Answer: A. Their going
Section A contains the error: 'Their' should be 'They're'. The expansion test proves it, 'THEY ARE going to the pantomime' makes sense, so the contraction is needed. 'Their' shows belonging and does not fit here. Sections B, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section A on its own: 'Their going to the pantomime.'
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] It was to wet [B] to play outside [C] at break time [D] on Tuesday.
Answer: A. It was to wet
Section A contains the error: 'to' should be 'too'. The sentence means it was overly wet, more than enough, so it needs 'too'. The 'to' in section B is correct because 'to play' is a verb pair. Sections B, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section A: 'It was to wet.' Does that mean going towards wet?
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] Camogie practise [B] is on Tuesday [C] after school [D] this week.
Answer: A. Camogie practise
Section A contains the error: 'practise' should be 'practice'. 'Camogie ___' names a THING that happens on Tuesday, a noun, and in British English the noun is spelled with a c: practice. Sections B, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section A: is 'practise/practice' a THING here, or a DOING word?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Ciaran is texting his friend: "Their coming to watch the Ulster match with us on Saturday."
Has Ciaran used the right word? Should it be their, there or they're?
Step 1 of 4
Ciaran is texting his friend: "Their coming to watch the Ulster match with us on Saturday."
Has Ciaran used the right word? Should it be their, there or they're?
It should be "They're coming to watch the match", because "they are coming" makes sense.
The key insight: The apostrophe is a squeeze mark, if you can un-squeeze the word back into "they are" or "you are", it needs the apostrophe!
Watch out: your welcome. Test it: "YOU ARE welcome" makes sense, so it must be "you're welcome". "Your" only shows belonging, like "your school bag".
These are the misconceptions we see most often in homophones and confusable words, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with homophones and confusable words? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
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