When there is a discrepancy between what is on the page and what pupils say during oral reading, this is referred to as a reading mistake. We avoid the term "mistake" since reading blunders frequently signify mature reading activity. Instead, we call them "misread words" or simply "mislives." When you mislive your life, you make mistakes; when you learn from these mistakes, you grow as a person. The most common type of misread word is the homophone. Two words that sound alike may have different meanings depending on which one you're using at any given time. For example, "affect" can mean "to cause to feel" or "to mark with a symbol." Using its spelling-bee prize winning ability, the American Heritage Dictionary lists "affect" as a homophone of "effect," but notes that this use of "affect" is rare. Homophones are easy to fall victim to when reading aloud. Because of their similar sounds, it's natural to assume that "effect" and "affect" must be spelled the same way. But they don't have to be! If you want to reduce your chances of making this kind of misread word, try to avoid reading aloud from material that contains many words that sound like each other.