This expanded fourth edition defines and cross-references 9,040 homophones and 2,133 homographs (up from 7,870 and 1,554 in the 3rd ed.). As the most comprehensive compilation of American homophones (words that sound alike) and homographs (look-alikes), this latest edition serves well where even the most modern spell-checkers and word processors fail--although rain, reign, and rein may be spelled correctly, the context in which these words may appropriately be used is not obvious to a computer.
Reviews of the first edition: The best roster of these phenomena--Wilson Library Bulletin; a good choice for any library--RQ. Now greatly expanded, the second edition includes over 7,000 (up from 3,500) homophones (words that sound alike) and over 1,400 (up from 600) homographs (look-alikes). Words are defined and cross referenced.