Aisle vs. Isle – How to Use Each Correctly

/ September 30, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Aisle and Isle?

Aisle and isle are homophones. Homophones sound exactly alike, but have different meanings and spellings. This means that although aisle and isle have the same pronunciation, they are very different words. Therefore, it is not possible to interchange these two words.

Aisle is a noun that means a passage between rows of things like seats or shelves.

• She walked down the aisle looking for a place to sit.

Isle is a also a noun that means island.

• The athlete trained by swimming from the mainland to the isle.

Now that you know the differences between these two words, let’s look at them in context to ensure you don’t confuse one for the other.

Using Aisle in a Sentence

When to use aisle: An aisle is a place for people to walk. It is usually fairly narrow and surrounded on both sides by rows of seats or shelving. The most common context that the word aisle appears is on a plane or bus, or in a supermarket, church, or theater.

For example,

• The oatmeal is in aisle 3, with the cereal.
• The parishioner knelt down in the aisle before sitting in the pew.

There are also a few expressions that use aisle:

• rolling in the aisles: laughing really hard (in the context of people at a movie theater)
  • The new comedy from the popular director had the entire audience rolling in the aisles.
• on both sides of the aisle: both Democratic and Republican congress members (in the context of politics)
  • Members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, supported the bill that aimed to fight child abuse.
• walk her down the aisle: A bride and her father walk between the rows of chairs at the start of a wedding to begin the wedding ceremony
  • Her father passed away just a day before he could walk her down the aisle.

The s in aisle is silent in all uses of the word. The main difference between aisle and passageway is that an aisle is usually formed by two sides and an open top, whereas a passageway usually has an enclosed top, like in a hallway or tunnel.

Using Isle in a Sentence

When to use isle: Isle is a noun with a silent s. It is synonymous with the word island. This is a popular word to include in geographical names, like the British Isles.

• I went sailboating off the coast of Florida and found some beautiful little isles.
• The family went on a summer vacation to the Isle of Man.

One difference between island and isle is that isle has more of a connotation of being small than island. This is not always true, however, since the British Isles are fairly large.

Remembering Aisle vs. Isle

Since these words sound exactly the same, you only need to worry about remembering the spelling.

One easy way to remember that isle starts with an i is to think of its synonym, island, which also starts with an i.

Alternatively, you could remember the two similar words hallway and passage, which are both comparable to the word aisle. Those two words both have the letter a, but not the letter i. This could also serve as a useful reminder of the spelling.

Outside Examples

• Senators on both sides of the aisle are demanding answers from Uber over its handling of the 2016 data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 57 million users of its mobile ride-sharing app. –Washington Times
• To keep his spirits up, they frequently talked about the upcoming wedding and how much he was looking forward to walking his “favorite daughter” down the aisle. –Washington Post
• A nonprofit group that provides lifesaving services around the British Isles is warning people to stay away from seas and beaches. –Chicago Sun Times
• Circumnavigating the isle of Manhattan in a kayak – a paddler’s perspective –Houston Chronicle

Quiz: Aisle vs. Isle

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either aisle or isle.

• The climate on that ______________ is quite temperate.
• An apple fell off the shelf and into the ________ in the grocery store.
• The British ___________ are off the coast of the European continent.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use aisle or isle? When speaking, both words have the same pronunciation, so you do not have to worry about whether you are using the right one. In writing, make sure to use the correct spelling.

• Aisle is a passage for people to walk through rows of things like seats or shelves.
• Isle is another word for island.

There is no overlap between the meanings of these two words, so use the information above to keep them straight.

Answers

1. isle
2. aisle
3. Isles