cent,
scent,
sent

Each carnation costs 99 cents.

The scent (smell) of the flowers is sweet.

Dad sent Mom a dozen carnation.

chose,
choose

David chose to take drum lessons.

His mom wants him to choose a different instrument.

(Chose [chōz] is the past tense of the verb choose [chüz].)

close,
clothes

Close the basement door.

Then put the clothes in the dryer.

coarse,
course

A cat’s tongue feels coarse, like sandpaper.

I took a course called “Caring for Cats.”

creak,
creek

Old houses creak when the wind blows hard.

The water in the nearby creek is clear and cold.

dear,
deer

Amber is my dear friend.

The deer enjoyed the sweet corn in her garden.

desert,
dessert

Cacti grow in the desert near our house.

My favorite dessert is strawberry pie.

dew,
do,
due

The dew on the grass got my new shoes wet.

I do my homework right after school.

The report is due on Wednesday.

die,
dye

The plant will die if it isn’t watered.

The red dye in the sweatshirt turned everything in the wash pink.

doesn't,
don't

She doesn’t like green tomatoes.

(Doesn’t = does not)

I don't either.

(Don’t = do not)

fewer,
less

We had fewer snow days this winter.

(Fewer refers to something you can count.)

That meant less ice skating.

(Less refers to something you cannot count.)

knew,
new

I knew it was going to rain.

I should have not worn my new shoes.

knight,
night

The knight stood guard by the iron gates.

Torches were lit for the long night.

knot,
not

I have a knot in my shoelaces.

I am not able to untie the tangled mess.

know,
no

Do you know all the dates for our history test?

No, let’s study them together.

knows,
nose

Mr. Beck knows at least a billion historical facts.

His nose is always in a book.

lay,
lie

Just lay the sleeping bags on the floor.

(Lay means “to place.”)

After the hike, we’ll lie down and rest.

(Lie means “to recline.”)

lead,
lead,
led

Some old paint contains lead.

(Lead [lĕd] is a noun referring to a metal.)

I get to lead the ponies around the show ring.

(Lead [lēd] is a verb meaning "go ahead of.")

Yesterday the drill team led the parade past the arena.

(Led [lĕd] is the past tense of the verb lead.)

learn,
teach

I need to learn these facts about the moon.

(Learn means “to get information.”)

Tomorrow I have to teach the science lesson.

(Teach means “to give information.”)

loose,
lose

Lee’s pet tarantula is loose!

(Loose [lōōs] means “free or untied.”)

No one but Lee could lose a big fat spider.

(Lose [lōōz] means “to misplace or fail to win.”)

made,
maid

Yes, I have made a big mess.

I need a maid to help me clean it up.

mail,
male

Email has replaced most paper mail.

Male refers to gender.

meat,
meet

I think meat can be a part of a healthful diet.

We were so excited to finally meet the president.

pore,
pour,
poor

A pore is a tiny opening in the skin.

Please pour me another glass of juice.

Rich is the opposite of poor.

principal,
principle

Our principal is a strong leader.

(The noun principal is a school administrator [your "pal"]; the adjective principal means “most important.”)

She asks students to follow this principle: Respect each other, and I’ll respect you.

(Principle means “idea” or “belief.”)

quiet,
quit,
quite

Libraries should be quiet places.

Quit talking, please.

I hear quite a bit of whispering going on.

raise,
rays,
raze

Please don’t raise (lift) the shades.

The sun’s rays are very bright this afternoon.

To raze means “to tear something down.”

read,
red

Have you read any books by Betsy Byars?

(Read [rĕd] is the past tense of the verb read.)

I like to read adventure stories.

(Read [rēd] is a verb meaning "make sense of written language.")

Why are most barns painted red?

Red [rĕd] is a noun or adjective referring to a warm color.)

right,
write,
rite

Is this the right (correct) place to turn right?

I’ll write the directions on a note card.

The pastor performed the marriage rite (ceremony).

road,
rode,
rowed

My house is one block from the main road.

I rode my bike to the pond.

Then I rowed the boat to my favorite fishing spot.

scene,
seen

The movie has a great chase scene.

Have you seen it yet?

sea,
see

A sea is a body of salty water.

I see a tall ship on the horizon.

seam,
seem

The seam in my jacket is ripped.

I seem to always catch my sleeve on the door handle.

threw,
through

He threw the ball at the basket.

It swished through the net.

to,
too,
two

Josie passed the ball to Shannon.

Lea did not block her because she was too tired.

(Too means “very or overly.”)

The fans jumped and cheered, too.

(Too means “also.”)

Shannon easily scored two points.

waist,
waste

My little sister’s waist is tiny.

No part of the buffalo went to waste.

wait,
weights

I can’t wait to go to the gym.

We lift weights and play basketball.

way,
weigh

Show me the way to the gym.

Birds weigh very little because of their hollow bones.

weak,
week

The opposite of strong is weak.

There are seven days in a week.

wear,
where

The crossing guards wear yellow ponchos.

Where do you think they got them?

weather,
whether

I like rainy weather.

I go jogging whether it’s raining or not.

which,
witch

Which book should I read?

You’ll like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

who,
which,
that

The man who answered the door was my dad.

(Who refers to people.)

The movie, which was very funny, ended too soon.

(Which refers to nonliving objects or animals.)

The puppy that I really wanted was sold already.

(That may refer to animals, people, or nonliving objects.)