Homophones are words that sound the same, but, unlike homographs, are not spelled the same. Today, let's look at near homophones, which sound similar but not identical, and have different spellings and meanings. 

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A good example is "weary" and "wary." The adjective "weary" is similar to "tired," while "wary" means "skeptical" or "cautious." The pronunciation of these words is very similar, but "weary" was a long "E" like the word "we," whereas the first syllable of "wary" sounds like the word "where." 

Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon.

Caption 24, Pink Floyd: High Hopes

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But do be careful. Make sure you use the cycle lanes and be wary of other road users and pedestrians.

Captions 11-12, Visit England Green London: Visitor Guide

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There are also "affect" and "effect," which are each both a noun and a verb. The noun "the effect" is similar to "the outcome," whereas the verb "to effect" means to make something happen and is used rather rarely. Conversely, the verb "to affect" is more common than the noun "the affect." 

And, at the end of day, it's regular people who really effect change.

Caption 17, 1GOAL: Education for All

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Introducing pay by performance has had precisely the opposite effect.

Caption 14, Business English How to open and close presentations - Part 2

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Accordingly, natural forces affect the material in unpredictable and unique ways.

Caption 34, The Last Paradises: America's National Parks

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Even though they are different parts of speech, many people also confuse the spelling of the adjective "loose" and the verb "lose." 

They're seventy percent silk and give the illusion of skinny jeans, but they're loose, breathable, and warm.

Captions 34-35, How 2 Travelers Rethink What You Wear on the Plane!

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Sometimes you lose an argument, sometimes you lose an election.

Caption 38, Barack Obama On Trump: Presidential Victory

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And a final pair to know is "except," which is most commonly used as a conjunction or preposition, and "accept," which is a verb.  

And no one knows except the both of us.

Caption 10, Alanis Morissette: Hands Clean

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So, based on the numbers alone, you'd be foolish not to accept this offer.

Captions 24-25, Cannes Advertising Festival Apple: Escape from the Office

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Further Learning
For the pronunciation of these words, watch the videos on Yabla English. In addition to our lessons on homonyms listed above, you can also review our lesson on "they're," "their," and "there."

As we saw in Part I of this series, many words of Spanish origin have been absorbed into the English language. You will find many English words of Spanish origin listed in American English dictionaries that you won't necessarily find in British English dictionaries, or in the latter they will be identified as Spanish words rather than English words with a Spanish origin.

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Many words originating from Spanish are words that we associate with cowboys or the Southwest United States, which were originally territories of Spain.

I wore a sombrero once.

Caption 63, How 2 Travelers - Rethink What You Wear On the Plane!

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In English, a sombrero refers to a very wide-brimmed hat often seen in Mexico, but in Spanish, a sombrero is any kind of hat with a brim.

Ah, yeah, what a bonanza, a bonanza!

Caption 12, Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump

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A bonanza in English is a windfall or sudden good luck, which it can also mean in Spanish, although in Spanish it also means "fair weather."

California's central coast is a gorgeous stretch [weekend getaway] dotted with Spanish architecture, secret gardens, and chaparral-covered mountains.

Captions 2-3, Travel + Leisure - Weekend Getaway: Santa Barbara

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A chaparral is a dense growth of shrubs or small trees, stemming from the Spanish word chapparo, which is a kind of evergreen oak.

The trip through the labyrinth of flooded canyons is impressive.

Caption 11, The Last Paradises - America's National Parks - Part 8

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A canyon is a steep valley, often with a stream or river at the bottom. This is derived from the Spanish cañon, which has the same meaning.

185 of their friends are holed up in a crumbling adobe church down on the Rio Bravo.

Captions 25-27, John Wayne - The Alamo

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The word "adobe," the clay and straw bricks from which buildings are constructed in many drier climates, came to English via Spanish, but the word itself hearkens back to ancient Arabic, Coptic, and Egyptian!

[They] look like... kinda like chaps.

Caption 21, Chicago Bulls - Kid Picasso - Part 1

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Not to be confused with the informal British English "chap" (a "fellow"), chaps are the wide leather leggings worn by cowboys. This stems from the Mexican Spanish word of the same meaning, chaparreras.

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Further Learning
See if you can find the English meaning for other words with Spanish origins which are in common usage in the Southwest United States: arroyo, bronco, buckaroo, coyote, desperado, hacienda, machete, mesa, mustang, poncho, pueblo, ranch, rodeo, serape, stampede, vamoose, vaquero, and vigilante. Then look at some of the video examples above English Yabla and see how they are used in specific context.