Poor vs Pour vs Pore: What’s the Difference Between Them?

If you’re confused about poor, pour, or pore, not to worry! Lots of people are. These words all sound the same but they have very different meanings and usage. Keep on reading to find out everything you need to know.

Poor, Pour, Pore

These words are homophones (sound the same) which can make them a little bit confusing. However, they are used quite differently. Here are all the details you need to know

Poor: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

An adjective that means have little of something (usually money) or inadequate, inferior. “Working poor” is a noun that refers to people with jobs who don’t make enough to live well.

Examples: 

• I’m a poor college student.
• It’s hard to grow anything in my garden because the soil is so poor.
• There are a lot of working poor in Vancouver because housing is so expensive.

Pour: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

A verb that means to dispense a liquid.

Examples:

• Can you pour the water for everyone, please?
• Pour your drink out if you don’t want it. I’m tired of carrying it around for you.
• Be careful when you pour the water. The jug is quite full.

pore (noun): Meaning, Usage, and Examples

As a noun, it means a small opening, in a plant or animal. Often refers to pores on people’s faces.

Examples:

• Wash your face every night or your pores will get clogged.
• With the special dye, you can see the plant pores under a microscope.

Pore (verb): Meaning, Usage, and Examples

As a verb, it means to read or study something carefully.

Example:

Tommy pored over the contract, looking for a way that he could get out of it.

Pore, Pour, Poor: Practice

1. In Korea, you should _____ drinks to people older than you with both hands.
2. Be sure to _____ over chapter 3. Many of the test questions will come from there.
3. My family may be _____ but we have a lot of fun.
4. My husband and I both work but we’re considered to be among the _____.
5. I splash my face with cold water before bed to close my _____.
6. Teddy is very _____ in math. I’m worried he’ll fail.
7.  _____ me a glass, okay?

Answers

1. pour
2. pore
3. poor
4. working poor
5. pores
6. poor
7. pour

Extra Practice

Work together with a study partner. Read the information about poor/pour/pore and do the practice section. Then, each of you can come up with five new sentences using these words. Read them to each other, one-by-one. Guess which word is used (poor, pour, or pore). Use context clues to help you decide (the other words in the sentence).

Want to Find Out More?

You can find hundreds of confusing English words and word pairs in this book: Most Confusing Words in English Explained. Pick up a copy and ace your next TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS exam! Find out everything you need to know about it right here:

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Join the Conversation

Do you have any tips or tricks for keeping pore, pour, and poor separate? Leave a comment below and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Last update on 2022-08-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API