Like many others, I find myself spending entirely too much time on my phone. Scrolling on TikTok and Reels has become an unfortunate pastime of mine. Due to all the time I spend scrolling on and on, I encounter quite a bit. I’m sure many of you have been following the same things I have been, like the Dancing with the Stars pros and stars and all the drama that comes with it; Ash Dykes’ journey through the Congo River Basin; all the news and predictions about the Glee reboot; and all the various commentators with their hot, cold, and lukewarm takes about anything and everything. One common thing I have seen continuously in my time online, that never fails to upset and enrage me, is the amount of people who simply do not know what words mean, or how homophones work.Â
For those who do not know, a homophone, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is “one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling.” I have seen homophones misused all throughout the internet, whether it is someone using “to” instead of “too,” “your” instead of “you’re,” or any number of other grammatical offenses. It is my belief that the constant exposure to these mistakes can contribute to misunderstandings of spelling, word meanings, and proper language usage, especially when people repeatedly see incorrect examples online. That being said, as a future ELA teacher and educator in general, I believe it is my duty to set the record straight about which words belong where and, of course, air out some of my grievances with the grammatical mistakes I encounter on the internet. After all, if we as a society are going to spend so much time online, the least we can do is make sure we know what we are trying to say.
My biggest gripe and the item that grinds my gears the most is when “your” and “you’re” are used incorrectly. “Your” refers to ownership, such as, “Is that your coat, Joanna?” while “you’re” is a contraction, or word combination, of “you” and “are.” So, next time you are leaving a comment on that gorgeous friend’s Instagram post, think: are you trying to give them ownership over the word “pretty,” or are you saying “you are pretty” to them? The latter is the grammatically correct way to say it, so ensure you comment “you’re pretty” to both compliment them and show the world how savvy you are with grammar.Â
The next one I have often noticed is “bawling” versus “balling.” I am simply a girl who loves a good edit, and in so many of the comments on said edits, I see people claiming that the edit has them “balling their eyes out.” This frustrates me, because when one pens this, the word they are using implies they are either superb at shooting hoops or really good at life. What they should say is that they are “bawling their eyes out,” which means they are crying uncontrollably. This one letter change makes a world of difference, and it is important that people understand the meaning behind these slight letter changes.Â
“There,” “their,” and “they’re” are three more common victims of this problem. They all sound the same when spoken, but they have entirely different meanings. “There” means a person or object’s position in space, “their” shows ownership over something, and “they’re” is a contraction of “they” and “are.” So, if you are trying to inform a friend that your friends are meeting at a bar, you would say: “They’re [they are] getting there [to the bar] at 8:00, and their [ownership] other friends will be joining us.” When you go to use one of these three “T” words, think to yourself about what context you are using the word in.
Another group of three homophones that are commonly mistaken are “too,” “two,” and “to.” I have seen these three mixed up quite often, and respectfully, it never fails to make me question how people are able to type out an entire paragraph but somehow miss the difference between these three words. “Too” means also or an excessive amount of something, “two” is the number after one, and “to” is used to indicate direction or as part of a verb. For example, if you are telling your friend that you want to go to Dairy Queen with a couple of other friends, you would say, “I want to go to Dairy Queen too, and I am bringing two friends.” Once you learn the differences, it is easy as pie, and I beg of you, please take the extra two (haha) seconds to reread your sentence before posting it for the entire world to see.
Another pair that I have noticed being used incorrectly is “lose” versus “loose.” This one is especially frustrating because, unlike some of the other homophones, these words are not even pronounced the exact same way, yet people still manage to mix them up. “Lose” means to misplace something or fail to win, like losing your phone or losing a game, while “loose” means something is not tight or securely fastened. For example, if you are watching your favorite sports team play and they lose the game, you would not say that they “loose” the game. Unless, of course, their jerseys are loose, in which case that would be an entirely different problem. I have seen people use “loose” when they mean “lose” so many times online that I am starting to think we need to require weekly adult spelling tests. If we are going to spend hours on our phones every day, the least we can do is make sure we know the difference between two words that have completely different meanings.
“Board” and “bored” deserve some attention as well. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen someone say they are “board” when they mean they have absolutely nothing to do. “Board” can refer to a flat piece of material or a group of people who oversee an organization, while “bored” describes the feeling of having nothing interesting to do. So, if you are sitting on your couch scrolling through TikTok for the fifth hour in a row, you are bored, not board. I understand that both words sound the same when spoken, but context clues exist for a reason! Before you post about how “board” you are, please take a moment to think about whether you are a piece of lumber or simply in need of a new hobby.
“Hear” and “here” are another pair that grinds my gears. “Hear” means the act of perceiving sound, and “here” refers to a location or being in a particular place. If you are trying to text your friend to tell them that you can hear them calling you from across the room, you would say, “I can hear you over here.” You would not say, “I can here you over hear,” unless you are actively trying to make every English teacher, me included, within a five-mile radius lose their mind. I have seen these words mixed up in many comments, captions, and posts. I know that these words sound identical, which can make them tricky, but that is exactly why it is so important to understand their meanings. If you can take the time to argue with strangers in a comment section, you can certainly take the time to make sure you are using the correct word.
To close us out, as a bonus, I have noticed a new mix-up popping up on my feed: the dreaded “generally” versus “genuinely.” Though this is not a homophone, it is still two words that are mixed up often and cause me much distress. “Generally” refers to something broad, or a range of things, that could include most people, opinions, or conditions. “Genuinely” means that something is true, authentic, and sincere. I have seen countless people use the wrong word in numerous situations. For example, in many comment sections, you will see people say they are “genuinely ill.” This is the correct use of the word, as they are truly feeling sick or upset by something being posted. Lately, though, I have seen people substitute “genuinely” for “generally,” and when someone would type “I am generally ill,” it would take on a completely different meaning, implying that you are usually ill or sick.Â
Some honorable mentions that I won’t go into, but you should be aware of, include the following: it’s and its, allowed and aloud, than and then, week and weak, piece and peace, principle and principal, foul and fowl… the list goes on for miles. Since you are aware of these now, you will see them misused… everywhere.
Essentially, I am begging people to think before they type, or at the very least, use spell check. I understand that mistakes happen, and nobody is expecting everyone to have perfect grammar and spelling 100% of the time. I am by no means perfect! But, it is important to note that there is a difference between making an occasional mistake and continuously using words incorrectly without making an effort to learn the difference. It may not seem like a big deal in the moment, especially when you are simply leaving a comment on TikTok or posting a caption on Instagram, but language and literacy matter, even in the little things. If everyone continues to misuse homophones and make no effort to correct these mistakes, we risk contributing to a larger problem with literacy, reading comprehension, and our overall understanding of the English language. As a future ELA teacher, I believe that knowing how to communicate effectively is an incredibly important skill, and that starts with understanding the words we use every single day. So, the next time you are about to comment on an epic Hunger Games edit, caption your latest photo dump, or argue with someone in a Dancing with the Stars comment section about Carrie Ann, take an extra few seconds to reread what you have written. Your future English teachers and anyone who has ever had to read through a comment section will thank you. Help the world out, do your part, and please, for the love of all things grammatical, check your spelling before posting!
