“My ant came to dinner.”
Homophones Entry 1497 / 1605 60-second read
Ant vs. Aunt
The insect versus a parent's sibling.
The comparisoni
“My AUNT came to dinner — AUNT (a relative) versus ANT (the insect). Identical sound in many US accents.”
The ruleii
¶
AUNT = relative. ANT = insect.
AUNT is your parent's sister. ANT is the small social insect. Pronounced identically in many American accents (cot-caught merger); UK accents distinguish.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
AUNT has the U for relUtive.