Sound Gym
banned · band
Homophones /bænd/ — both words sound exactly the same, but one means prohibited and the other is a music group.
Homophones
Both words are pronounced exactly the same: /bænd/
Only context tells you which one is meant.
verb (past tense of ban) — officially prohibited or forbidden — 'the drug was banned' · 'banned from the premises' · 'a banned substance'
mouth shape
short /æ/ — mouth wide open, jaw drops, like 'cat' — ends in /nd/ cluster — same sound as band
banned
/bænd/
vowel length
noun — a group of musicians who play together — 'rock band' · 'the band played all night' · also: a thin strip — 'rubber band' · 'wedding band'
mouth shape
identical to banned — short /æ/, ends /nd/ — these two words are perfect homophones
band
/bænd/
vowel length
Context disambiguates — both /bænd/
banned — verb
Past tense of ban — to officially forbid something.
banned · banning · ban · bans
“Smoking was banned in 2007.”
band — noun
A group of musicians — or a thin strip that binds.
rock band · jazz band · rubber band · band together
“The band released a new album.”
Example sentences
banned:“The chemical was banned by international treaty.”
banned:“He was banned from driving for two years.”
band:“The band played three encores that night.”
band:“Wrap a rubber band around the papers.”
Hear it in a sentence
“The song was banned from national radio for its controversial lyrics.”
“The band played three encores before the crowd finally let them leave.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
banned
Hear native speakers say “banned” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
band
Hear native speakers say “band” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
ban family ▸
band family ▸
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