3rd Grade · Core Spelling
Homophones and Commonly Confused Words
A 3rd Grade homophones list with commonly confused words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings.
These spelling words are a good fit for students who...
- can understand familiar homophone pairs such as there/their in context, even when spelling them correctly is still inconsistent
- understand that contractions such as they're and you're have different meanings from their homophone partners
- write multi-sentence responses where confusing word choices can affect the reader's understanding
Word list
The 15 words to practice in this step
3rd Grade · Core Spelling
- there
- their
- they're
- your
- you're
- its
- it's
- right
- write
- new
- knew
- where
- wear
- heard
- herd
15 words
Spelling Skill
Homophones
Learn how this spelling pattern works, see examples, common mistakes, and teaching guidance.
Explore the Homophones skill →Why these words — and what they teach
Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. Because sound alone cannot select the right member of a pair, this 3rd Grade list practices making the choice inside a sentence.
The list moves beyond simple pairs. There/their/they’re requires a three-way choice, while your/you’re and its/it’s contrast a possessive form with a contraction. Expanding they’re, you’re, or it’s reveals they are, you are, or it is. The remaining pairs—right/write, new/knew, where/wear, and heard/herd—show that sentence meaning is also necessary when neither word is a contraction.
This lesson follows multisyllabic spelling because learners are now writing longer sentences in which an accurately spelled word can still be the wrong word. It also draws directly on the earlier possessive and contraction work needed to interpret the apostrophes.
How to practice this list
Dictate a complete sentence and ask your child to explain the intended word before writing it. For a contraction, substitute its two full words and reread the sentence. For another pair, give a brief meaning cue or ask them to use both spellings in contrasting sentences. Mix all groups rather than practicing one pair repeatedly.
Writing your when the sentence means you are is a selection error: the child spelled a real homophone but chose the wrong meaning. Ask them to expand or restate the sentence, then replace only that word. By contrast, an attempt such as wher for intended where shows that the student selected the correct meaning but needs help with that word’s internal spelling; compare it directly with the correct member instead of reteaching the whole concept.
A selection error means the sentence was understood, just not yet matched to the right spelling — worth treating as a small, specific fix rather than a bigger misunderstanding.
Move on when your child can choose and justify the intended spelling in unfamiliar sentences, expand the contractions as a check, and independently correct a meaning mismatch with only occasional prompting.