{"id":118124,"date":"2023-06-01T16:02:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T20:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-homophones\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T07:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:53:14","slug":"french-homophones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-homophones\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Common French Homophones and Their Meanings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings. But when it comes to listening comprehension, they can pose a big problem for French learners.<\/p>\n

While some of that is just the fun of French, we’re going to greatly reduce your chances of getting into any embarrassing situations by going over some of the most common and confusing homophones.\u00a0Once you have these homophones on lock, you’ll not only be able to identify them, but even use them to make French puns, play with words and practice your writing.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Amande\/amende<\/em><\/h2>\n

une amande<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>an almond
\nune amende<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a fine<\/p>\n

Est-ce que je peux payer\u00a0l’amende<\/strong>\u00a0en\u00a0amandes<\/strong>?
\n<\/i>(Can I pay the fine in almonds?)<\/p>\n

Spoken, these two can get switched around easily, especially since they’re both feminine. Written, they’re easy to tell apart, thanks to the vowel differences! Just remember that by paying\u00a0une amende <\/em><\/strong>you’re making “amends.” And as for\u00a0des\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>amandes,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>those are just delicious.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Au\/aux\/eau\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

au<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>contraction of\u00a0\u00e0\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0le
\n<\/em>aux<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>contraction of \u00e0<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0les
\neau<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>water<\/p>\n

Au<\/strong> contraire! \u00a0Il y a plein d’eau<\/strong> aux<\/strong> eaux!
\n<\/i>(To the contrary! There is lots of water at the spa!)<\/p>\n

Also the same as pronouncing a closed o<\/em><\/strong> in French, these three all make the exact same sound, much like the “o” in the word “cold.” Luckily, you’ll get pretty accustomed to\u00a0au<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0aux<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>using them when you contract\u00a0\u00e0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and les<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>or \u00e0<\/em><\/strong> and\u00a0le<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(which is basically all the time).\u00a0Eau<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>will become intuitive as well, and when someone asks for\u00a0un verre d’eau<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>only one of these homophones makes sense.<\/p>\n

And yes, there is a fourth homophone here. Eaux<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is an old term for a spa, so you’re welcome to include that in your vocabulary vault!<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Aussi t\u00f4t\/aussit\u00f4t<\/em><\/h2>\n

aussi t\u00f4t<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>too\u00a0early, as soon (as possible)
\naussit\u00f4t<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>immediately<\/p>\n

Aussit\u00f4t<\/strong>\u00a0que je suis arriv\u00e9 chez moi, ma m\u00e8re m’a demand\u00e9 de faire la vaisselle\u00a0aussi t\u00f4t<\/strong> que possible.
\n<\/em>(Immediately after I arrived at my house, my mom asked me to do the dishes as soon as possible.)<\/p>\n

This one haunted me for some time, and you may have gotten to this point still thinking these two were the same word. Don’t feel bad, many a French learner has gone through this. These have a similar meaning, making them slightly tricky.<\/p>\n

Remember that as two words\u2014aussi t\u00f4t<\/strong>\u2014<\/em>it’s a literal translation using the separate French words for\u00a0“<\/em>also\/too”\u00a0<\/em>and “early.” Whereas aussit\u00f4t<\/em><\/strong> together becomes a whole new word!<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Auteur\/hauteur\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

un auteur<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>an author
\nune hauteur<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a height<\/p>\n

L’auteur<\/strong> a\u00a0peur des hauteurs<\/strong>.
\n<\/i>(The author is afraid of heights.)<\/p>\n

This pair is easy on the eyes, but not so easy on the ears. The root word of\u00a0une hauteur<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0haut<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(high),\u00a0<\/em>an adjective you may be familiar with. Luckily, there is a way to tell a difference between these when heard. The h<\/em><\/strong> in\u00a0hauteur\u00a0<\/em>is what is called an\u00a0h aspir\u00e9<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>meaning that when it comes to liaisons and contractions, it acts like a consonant. So you’ll have l<\/em><\/strong>‘auteur<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>with the contraction, but\u00a0le hauteur<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>pronounced as two separate words! Train them ears!<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Avocat\/avocat<\/em><\/h2>\n

un avocat<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>an avocado
\nun avocat<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a lawyer<\/p>\n

Il y a un avocat<\/strong> qui repr\u00e9sente des avocats<\/strong>.
\n<\/i>(There is a lawyer who represents avocados.)<\/p>\n

This one is just goofy. It never fails to crack me up, and it will make you hesitate before asking someone if they’re\u00a0un avocat<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>But don’t worry here too much. The context will likely present itself\u00a0(and if not for some reason, everyone will get a good laugh).<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Boue\/bout\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

la boue<\/strong> \u2014<\/i>\u00a0the mud
\nle bout<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>the tip<\/p>\n

Je ne mets que le\u00a0bout<\/strong> du doigt dans la boue.<\/strong>
\n<\/em>(I put only my fingertip in the mud.)<\/p>\n

Le bout<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>doesn’t mean “tip” as in what you’d give a waiter at a restaurant (which isn’t customary in France, anyway). This is talking about a physical tip (tip of the iceberg, tip of the nose). These two are pretty easy to distinguish from one another; you’ve got the masculine and feminine going for you, as well as spelling differences.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Cent\/sang\/sens\/sans<\/em><\/h2>\n

cent<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>one hundred
\nsang<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>blood
\nsens<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>first-person singular of sentir <\/em>(to feel)
\nsans<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 without<\/p>\n

Sans<\/strong> sang<\/strong>, je me\u00a0sens<\/strong> cent<\/strong> pour cent mort.
\n<\/i>(Without blood, I feel one hundred percent dead.)<\/p>\n

Ahhhhh! There are four! This is probably one of the more annoying sets of homophones, but we’re going to get them down once and for all. You’re likely rather familiar with these words, and probably don’t get them too confused as it is, but when you start getting deep into audio resources it’s good to be aware that these fairly common words have the same sound.<\/p>\n

They’re also a good lesson on French pronunciation; it’s a bit crazy to have words with such different spellings sound so similar. The saving grace with this set is that cent<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>is an adjective,\u00a0sang<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a noun,\u00a0sens<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a conjugated verb form and\u00a0sans<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a preposition.<\/p>\n

8. Chouette\/chouette<\/i><\/h2>\n

une chouette<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>an owl
\nchouette<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>cool, nice<\/p>\n

Cette chouette<\/strong> est chouette<\/strong>!
\n<\/em>(This owl is cool!)<\/p>\n

If you want to remember this one just by convincing yourself that owls are the coolest animals ever, then go right ahead. In all reality, you’re likely (unless you’re using your French to talk about animals<\/a>) to use the adjective version of this one anyway. But if you hear an\u00a0une<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0la<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>before the word chouette<\/em><\/strong>, then you know something is hooting somewhere.<\/p>\n

9. Compte\/comte\/conte<\/em><\/h2>\n

un compte<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>an account
\nun comte<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a count (nobleman)
\nun conte<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a story<\/p>\n

J’ai lu un conte<\/strong>\u00a0sur un\u00a0comte<\/strong> qui a ouvert un compte<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(I read a story about a count who opened an account.)<\/p>\n

Oh spelling changes galore! Although these have slight changes with the m<\/strong><\/em> and n<\/em><\/strong> (making them nasal), they sound incredibly similar. It’s just so convenient that all of these are masculine, isn’t it? To remember\u00a0un compte<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>think of the verb\u00a0compter<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(to count).<\/p>\n

But don’t confuse this with\u00a0un comte<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>which translates into English as a count, like Count Olaf (read “Les d\u00e9sastreuses aventures des orphelins Baudelaire”<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>if you’re not hip to the reference).\u00a0Then, for\u00a0un conte<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>think of the second half of the verb raconter<\/em><\/strong> (to tell about).<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Dans\/dent<\/em><\/h2>\n

dans<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>in
\nun dent<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a tooth<\/p>\n

J’ai une puce \u00e9lectronique dans<\/strong> mon\u00a0dent<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(I have a microchip in my tooth.)<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0dans<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a preposition, and you’ll always see\u00a0dent(s)<\/em><\/strong> with a definite or indefinite article, this one won’t get you\u00a0dans<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>too much trouble.<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0\u00c9t\u00e9\/\u00e9t\u00e9<\/em><\/h2>\n

\u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>summer
\n\u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the past participle of \u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>(to be)<\/p>\n

Si mon anniversaire avait \u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>en \u00e9t\u00e9<\/b><\/em>, on l’aurait f\u00eat\u00e9 \u00e0 la piscine.<\/em>
\n<\/em>(If my birthday had been in summer, we would have celebrated it at the pool.)<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0\u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>the past participle version, will always be accompanied<\/a> by a conjugated\u00a0avoir\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(to have), this one is kind of in the bag. But it’s a confusing set of homophones when you’re first starting out.<\/p>\n

12. Filtre\/philtre<\/i><\/h2>\n

un filtre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a filter
\n<\/em>un philtre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a potion<\/p>\n

On a besoin de\u00a0filtres<\/strong>\u00a0sp\u00e9ciaux\u00a0pour faire ce\u00a0philtre<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(You need special filters to make this potion.)<\/p>\n

Unless you’re watching a Harry Potter movie, when you hear someone say this, you can assume they’re talking about a filter. Though if you’re trying to remember how to spell each one, remember that\u00a0filtre<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>uses the same letters as its English translation (filter), just with the last two letters switched around.<\/p>\n

13. Foi\/foie\/fois<\/i><\/h2>\n

la foi<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>faith
\nle foie<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>liver
\nune fois<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a time<\/p>\n

Une\u00a0fois<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>j’ai mis toute ma foi<\/strong> en foie<\/strong> gras.
\n<\/i>(One time, I put all my faith in foie gras.)<\/p>\n

If you travel to France and are down for sampling their cuisine, then you’ll come across du foie<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>(liver) more than you’re probably used to. This refers to both the food and the liver inside of you. This is a set you’ll just have to learn (so get those flashcards out!).<\/p>\n

Though to put your mind at ease, unless you’re at a doctor’s office, restaurant or church, the best guess is\u00a0fois<\/em><\/strong>, as it’s an extremely common word.<\/p>\n

14.\u00a0Gu\u00e8re\/guerre<\/em><\/h2>\n

gu\u00e8re<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>hardly
\nla guerre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>war<\/p>\n

Ce n’\u00e9tait gu\u00e8re<\/strong> une guerre<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(It was hardly a war.)<\/p>\n

The best homophones are the ones where one is a noun and the other…isn’t. Gu\u00e8re<\/strong><\/em> is a great word to know, especially when reading.\u00a0La guerre<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>isn’t really at risk of being confused with the similar-sounding adverb, but hey, you just got a useful vocabulary word out of this!<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0Lac\/laque<\/em><\/h2>\n

le lac<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>lake
\nla laque<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>gloss or hairspray (or lacquer)<\/p>\n

J’ai oubli\u00e9 ma laque<\/strong> au lac<\/strong>!
\n<\/em>(I forgot my hairspray at the lake!)<\/p>\n

To remember the spelling of these, just remember the English word “lacquer,” the stuff you put on wood or nails that makes them shine. Laque<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>is spelt similarly and has the same meaning, changing the exact definition depending on the context (hair, nails, walls, etc.). From there, remembering this pair isn’t too bad.<\/p>\n

16.\u00a0Leur\/leurre\/l’heure<\/em><\/h2>\n

leur<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>possessive pronoun (their), indirect object pronoun (them)
\nun leurre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a delusion\/illusion
\nl’heure<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the hour<\/p>\n

Leur<\/strong> leurre<\/strong> est que l’heure<\/strong> est toujours fausse.
\n<\/em>(Their delusion is that the time is always wrong.)<\/p>\n

These three homophones have pretty different contexts and uses, but be aware of them, especially since\u00a0l’heure<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0leur<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>are used all the time.\u00a0Un leurre<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>not as much, unless you suffer from a lot of delusions about how bad your French is (I promise it’s not as bad as you think).<\/p>\n

17. Mer\/maire\/m\u00e8re<\/i><\/h2>\n

La mer<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the sea
\nLe maire<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the mayor (la maire<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is also possible in some regions)
\nLa m\u00e8re<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the mother<\/p>\n

La m\u00e8re<\/strong>\u00a0du\u00a0maire<\/strong> habite \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de la mer<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(The mother of the mayor lives next to the sea.)<\/p>\n

Here’s another tricky one for you. I like to think of\u00a0le maire<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>as\u00a0la m\u00e8re<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>of the city, and as for l<\/em><\/strong>a mer<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>I think of this song.<\/a>\u00a0Since all of these are commonly used, sometimes you’ll have to use your (amazing) instincts.<\/p>\n

18.\u00a0Mur\/m\u00fbr\/m\u00fbre<\/em><\/h2>\n

un mur<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a\u00a0wall
\nm\u00fbr(e)<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>ripe
\nune m\u00fbre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>a blackberry<\/p>\n

Quelqu’un a lanc\u00e9 une\u00a0m\u00fbre<\/strong> m\u00fbre<\/strong> au mur<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(Someone threw a ripe blackberry at the wall.)<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the accent circumflex on\u00a0m\u00fbr<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0m\u00fbre<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>don’t make a difference with pronunciation, making this kind of a tricky one. Context is going to be key with this one. Luckily, we don’t eat both walls and blackberries! As for the adjective\u00a0m\u00fbr<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>it can be quite easy to remember if you relate it back to the word for “blackberry.” We eat those when they’re ripe, don’t we?<\/p>\n

19.\u00a0Pair\/paire\/p\u00e8re<\/em><\/h2>\n

un pair<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em> a peer
\nune paire<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a pair
\nun p\u00e8re<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a father<\/p>\n

Mon p\u00e8re<\/strong> et son pair<\/strong> font une bonne paire.<\/strong>
\n<\/em>(My dad and his peer make a good pair.)<\/p>\n

Luckily, the French word for “pear” is poire<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and not another\u00a0homophone, or we would be in real trouble here. It’s hard to get\u00a0un pair<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0une paire<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>straight, especially since (don’t cry) the adjective form of\u00a0un pair\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0pair<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(meaning even, as in number), and the feminine form of this is paire<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

So really the example sentence could have been much more painful. You should be able to identify when someone is talking about their dad, but truth be told, they could be talking about their peer. Trust your judgement on that; I believe in you.<\/p>\n

As for\u00a0une paire,\u00a0<\/em>a lot of the time it will be followed by\u00a0de <\/em>+\u00a0<\/em>[noun]<\/strong>, like\u00a0une paire des bottes<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(a pair of boots).<\/p>\n

20. P\u00e2tes\/p\u00e2te\/pattes<\/i><\/h2>\n

les p\u00e2tes<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>pasta
\nla p\u00e2te<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>dough
\nles pattes<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>paws<\/p>\n

Mettez vos pattes<\/strong> sur la\u00a0p\u00e2te<\/strong> pour faire des p\u00e2tes<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(Put your paws on the dough to make the pasta.)<\/p>\n

If you think of how\u00a0p\u00e2tes<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0p\u00e2te<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>relate, then this one is a cinch! Pasta is made of dough, and though the word\u00a0p\u00e2te\u00a0<\/em>is used in general for dough, you can still think of\u00a0p\u00e2tes\u00a0<\/em>as a plural for\u00a0p\u00e2te\u00a0<\/em>because you would have to use multiple pieces of dough to make pasta. As for des pattes<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>animals tend to have paws and not pasta or dough\u00a0(unless it’s a thieving raccoon).<\/p>\n

21.\u00a0Plus t\u00f4t\/plut\u00f4t<\/em><\/h2>\n

plus t\u00f4t<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>earlier
\npl\u00fbtot<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>rather<\/p>\n

Je voudrais partir plus t\u00f4t<\/strong> pl\u00fbtot <\/strong>qu’arriver plus tard.
\n<\/em>(I would like to leave earlier rather than arrive late.)<\/p>\n

Much like the homophones\u00a0aussi t\u00f4t\u00a0<\/em>and aussi<\/em>t\u00f4t,\u00a0<\/em>this is another pair that you may not have been distinguishing between. There is more of a spelling difference here, though, and while they may be difficult to distinguish in a listening comprehension situation,\u00a0plus t\u00f4t<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is a direct translation to “more early” or “earlier,” whereas\u00a0plut\u00f4t<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>is missing the s<\/strong><\/em> and becomes its own special little word for “rather.”<\/p>\n

22.\u00a0Reine\/renne<\/em><\/h2>\n

La reine<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the queen
\nLe renne<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/em>the reindeer<\/p>\n

Elle est la reine<\/strong> des rennes<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(She is the queen of the reindeer.)<\/p>\n

This one is more for\u00a0fun than practicality. You’ve got a few ways to distinguish these: masculine vs. feminine, a definite advantage of context and the spelling is very different if you’re seeing them written! But it’s still fun to say\u00a0la reine des rennes<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

23. Sel\/selle\/celle<\/i><\/h2>\n

le sel<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/i>salt
\nla selle<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>saddle
\ncelle<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>demonstrative pronoun<\/p>\n

Celle<\/strong> qui a mis le sel<\/strong> sur la selle<\/strong> sera puni!
\n<\/em>(She who put the salt on the saddle will be punished!)<\/p>\n

Don’t worry too much about\u00a0la selle<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>as it will likely be referred to in an already horse-related context. And\u00a0sel<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>being salt and all, is a staple\u2014both in language and in the kitchen<\/a>. As for\u00a0celle<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>the demonstrative pronoun<\/a>, you’re sure to hear it, and even use it.<\/p>\n

Demonstrative pronouns refer to nouns that have already been mentioned in a sentence (as in “those,” “them,” “these,” “that,” etc.).\u00a0Celle\u00a0<\/em>refers specifically to a feminine singular noun. The others are\u00a0celui\u00a0<\/em>(masculine singular),\u00a0ceux\u00a0<\/em>(masculine plural) and\u00a0celles\u00a0<\/em>(feminine plural).<\/p>\n

24.\u00a0Tour\/tour<\/em><\/h2>\n

la tour<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the tower
\nle tour<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>the turn, the perimeter<\/p>\n

Attention! C’est \u00e0 mon tour<\/strong> de faire le tour<\/strong> de la tour<\/strong>.
\n<\/i>(Be careful! It’s my turn to walk around the tower.)<\/p>\n

Really try to remember these definitions with the\u00a0le<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0la<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>in mind, otherwise you may find yourself lost in the tower!<\/p>\n

25.\u00a0Vert\/vers\/ver\/verre<\/em><\/h2>\n

vert<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>green
\nvers<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>around, toward
\nun ver<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>worm
\nun verre<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0<\/em>a glass<\/p>\n

En buvant mon verre<\/strong> de vin, j’ai vu un ver vert vers<\/strong> la maison!
\n<\/em>(While drinking my glass of wine, I saw a green worm around the house!)<\/p>\n

Like some of the previous homophone sets we’ve mentioned, this one is rather simple to keep straight. You’ve got an adjective,\u00a0vert<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>a preposition,\u00a0vers<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>and nouns\u00a0ver <\/i><\/strong>and verre,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>making it all\u00a0divers<\/strong> <\/em>(diverse). See! You can rhyme with some of these!<\/p>\n

How to Practice French Homophones<\/h2>\n

The old-school method (with a twist)<\/h3>\n

We can’t have a post about vocabulary without mentioning flashcards, can we? They really are a great resource, but it’s okay if they’re not your thing.<\/p>\n

The important thing to consider if you do make your own flashcards<\/a> for homophones is that you need to keep them within their groups. If you learn how these homophones sound, then the rest gets easier.<\/p>\n

Make flashcards with each set of homophones on one side, whether that’s two or three (for four you may want to break it up into two flashcards), and then the definitions of each on the other side.<\/p>\n

To help keep things clear in your mind, make sure you color code them with their corresponding definitions. You can also underline the spelling changes or draw little pictures or symbols to help you even further. Then study…study…study!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test your knowledge<\/h3>\n

You may already know more of these than you’re giving yourself credit for. And with homophones being kind of a tricky vocabulary module<\/a>, quizzes can be a great way to test your knowledge and learn the pairings along the way. Check out these homophone quizzes for a fun test of your skills:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Sporcle.com<\/a><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Quizz.biz<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Tolearnfrench.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Use your word play skills<\/h3>\n

If you either want more of a challenge or something to exercise your brain with, then trying to make a sentence using homophones is a fun method<\/a>. Take two (or sometimes three or four) homophones and make one single sentence with them.<\/p>\n

The only rules are that you have to use them correctly, and all in one (if possible, a 140-character tweet-sized<\/a>) sentence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Homophones aren’t something to stress over, especially since we just went through most\u00a0of the major ones.<\/p>\n

But if you can get these down, you’ll definitely start noticing them in your listening practice.<\/p>\n

These can be a fun and interesting way to introduce new vocabulary into your day and get you asking questions about why certain things are pronounced the way they are!<\/p>\n


\n

And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you're like me and enjoy learning French through movies and other media, you should check out FluentU<\/strong><\/a>. With FluentU, you can turn any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix into an engaging language lesson. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-french-with-fluentu-on-youtube\"<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\t

\r\n\t\tI also love that FluentU has a huge library of videos picked specifically for French learners<\/strong>. No more searching for good content\u2014it's all in one place!\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\n\tOne of my favorite features is the interactive captions<\/strong>. You can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and examples, which makes it so much easier to understand and remember.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-french-vocab-with-fluentu\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAnd if you're worried about forgetting new words, FluentU has you covered. You'll complete fun exercises to reinforce vocabulary<\/strong> and be reminded when it\u2019s time to review, so you actually retain what you\u2019ve learned.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"practice-french-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings. But when it comes to listening comprehension, they can pose a big problem for French learners. While some of that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":118125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"25 Common French Homophones and Their Meanings | FluentU French Blog","description":"Getting to know French homophones can bump up your listening skills and save you from major confusion! Read this guide to find out 25 of the most common French homophones you should watch out for, as well as ways to practice them to help prevent comprehension issues in the future."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,571],"tags":[],"coauthors":[677],"class_list":["post-118124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french","category-french-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118124"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254787,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118124\/revisions\/254787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118124"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=118124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}