Congratulations! You have discovered the advanced English homophones level! By now, you should be pretty comfortable with the material covered in the beginner and intermediate homophone videos, and you're probably looking for an extra challenge. Well, don't worry. I've got you covered. In this video, I look at numerous words in English that are pronounced the same but which are spelled differently. Here's a small sample: "bald" and "bawled," "air" and "heir," "horse" and "hoarse," and "retch" and "wretch." Is any of this English vocabulary new to you? Good! Check out the video to learn their meanings, and learn to tell the difference between them. If you haven't watched my beginner and intermediate homophone videos, make sure to watch them now:
BEGINNER HOMOPHONES: https://youtu.be/a6zpryGgsYc
INTERMEDIATE HOMOPHONES: https://youtu.be/w91iiv7Libc

Take the quiz: https://www.engvid.com/advanced-english-homophones/

TRANSCRIPT

You made it, I made it. We are at the advanced level of homophones. Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and like I said, this is level three of my homophones series, the advanced stage. So, if you don't know why homophones are important to know, let me just repeat what I said at the end of the intermediate video, which is: They're important so that you know the spelling of words, you can understand context, you can understand what people are saying when they use a word that maybe has another word that sounds exactly the same but the pronunciation is also the same but the meaning is different. So, as a recap, homophones once more are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have a different meaning. So, it's self-explanatory why they're important to know, but I mention it to you guys anyway.

So let's not waste any time and let's level up, guys. "Air", "heir". I think you know what "air" is... Right? So, a technical definition, a mix of nitrogen, oxygen, and other small amounts of gases, or a soft breeze, or in the Phil Collins song: "I can feel it calling in the air tonight", something like that. It's a terrible, terrible voice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Phil. Very sorry, Phil. Or Mr. Collins, I'll call you Mr. Collins. "Heir", now "heir", "h-e-i-r", this is a noun and this is a person who has the legal right to someone's property after they pass away. Now, usually when we think about heirs, we think about it in, like, the Middle Ages where, you know, a prince is the heir to the throne of a king. Once the king dies, the heir steps up and he becomes the king. So, example from Lord of the Rings: "Aragorn is Isildur's heir", in The Lord of the Rings. Spoiler alert if you haven't seen that movie or read those books. So, Aragorn is Isildur's heir. Isildur defeated, you know, the evil wizard, Sauron, and you've seen the movie, you know.

Okay: "alter", "altar". "A-l-t-e-r", this means to modify or change something, so this is a verb. For example: "Do you wish to alter your plans? Do you want to change anything or modify anything?" And "altar", the noun "a-l-t-a-r", this is a table that is used for religious rituals. So, any, you know... Many religions use altars. If you're thinking about Christian faiths, if you go to a Christian church, they will have a table in the front of the church, this is called an altar. So: "The priest is behind the altar." In the past, altars were used for other things, like animal sacrifices, and in some cases human sacrifices, like that Indiana Jones scene. Right? What's that word that they u-...? I don't remember. Anyway.

"Bald" and "bawled". So, you probably know "bald", "b-a-l-d", an adjective which means without hair, having no hair. So, who's a famous bald person that I can think of? Well, if you've seen the movie Doctor Strange, Tilda Swinton's character is bald. She doesn't have any hair. Right? And "bawled", "b-a-w-l-e-d", so this is the past of the verb "bawl", "b-a-w-l" and in the past form it means cried loudly or wailed. So, let me... Let me look at some examples so you understand what I mean. So, first: "My dad bawled when he discovered his first bald spot." Okay? So, you know, balding is a process usually. When you find your first bald spot, like it's here usually, and you're like: "Oh no, I'm losing my hair." Although, bald is beautiful, too, so don't worry, guys. Just embrace it. It's okay. "My dad bawled"-like he cried strongly and loudly-"when he discovered his first bald spot". Or: "I bawled at the end of that movie." So, if you watch an emotional movie, or like the... You know, the big scene in The Lion King, for example, when Simba's father dies and when you were a kid, maybe you bawled because you were not emotionally prepared for that level of disappointment. Damn you, Disney. Damn you.