'Son' is a male child; 'sun' is the star at the centre of our solar system.
Noun. A person's male child.
Their eldest son just graduated from university.
She named her son after his grandfather.
My son starts primary school next September.
Noun. The star at the centre of our solar system, which provides light and heat to Earth.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Don't look directly at the sun during the eclipse.
After three days of rain, the sun finally came out.
Common mistake
Quick visual error: "My sun is five years old" (correct: son). Or "The son was very bright today" when talking about weather (correct: sun).
Trick to remember it
'Son' has an O like 'boy' — a son is a boy. 'Sun' has a U like 'up' — the sun is up in the sky.
Quick rule
Is it a male child? 'Son'. Is it the star in the sky? 'Sun' (with U for 'up').
Did you know?
The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old and has roughly 5 billion years left before it becomes a red giant. When that happens, it will expand enough to engulf Earth's orbit — so no urgent plans needed.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The _____ was so strong on the beach that we needed factor 50 sunscreen.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Their _____ is studying medicine at university and graduates next year.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it a male child? 'Son'. Is it the star in the sky? 'Sun' (with U for 'up').
Quick visual error: "My sun is five years old" (correct: son). Or "The son was very bright today" when talking about weather (correct: sun).
'Son' has an O like 'boy' — a son is a boy. 'Sun' has a U like 'up' — the sun is up in the sky.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy