Write, right, and rite are another group of three homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Write is a verb that means to put words onto a surface. We write with a pencil or a pen onto paper. We write with chalk on a concrete sidewalk. Write and words both begin with a –w. We write words for others to read.
I will write you a letter while I’m at camp.
Please write shampoo and soap onto the shopping list.
Right has two meanings. Right is the action the opposite of wrong, and right is the direction the opposite of left.
I hope you will always choose to follow the law and do the right thing.
I write with my right hand, but my brother uses his left hand.
A rite is a ceremony or a special organized and formal routine. A baptism, a wedding, and a graduation are all considered to be rites. Certain formal words and actions usually go along with these rites. The word rite is linked with the word ritual. Both these words begin with rit-. Remember that a rite is also a ritual.
The native people performed ceremonial rites at certain times of the year.
The rite of graduation often includes wearing a cap and gown.
We also use the word rite in the phrase rite of passage. A rite of passage is a formal movement from one stage of life to another, usually marked by a special ceremony.
Earning a driver’s license is often a rite of passage between childhood and adulthood.
Marriage is a rite of passage as two individuals join to become one family unit.
Write uses words. Right is the opposite of left and the opposite of wrong. Rite starts like ritual. A ritual is often a rite of passage ceremony.