Spell Complex Homophones

In this activity, we're going to to be looking at common homophones and how to spell them.

Homophones are words that sound the same but mean different things and are spelt differently.

For example: bear and bare.  

Read those two words out loud - did you notice that they sound exactly the same?  

They have completely different meanings though - let's look at each of them in a sentence:

The bear was prowling through the forest.

On hot days I like to take off my socks and have bare feet.

In this activity, we are going to practise spelling two pairs of homophones:

ascent and assent

descent and dissent

Let's look at these in a sentence so we can understand their different meanings:

The ascent was difficult but fun.

An ascent is a climb or walk to the top of a mountain or hill.

He gave his assent.

Assent is a noun meaning agreement or a verb meaning to agree.

The descent was much easier than the climb up!

A descent is a climb or walk down a mountain or hill.

She expressed her dissent - she didn't agree.

Dissent is a noun meaning disagreement or a verb meaning to disagree.  This disagreement is with a commonly held opinion.

Let's practise spelling these words!