Aisle and isle are homophones, nouns with the same pronunciation and different spellings and meanings. The silent s in aisle is why the two look so alike.
Aisle is a passage between rows, such as the walkway in a supermarket, a church, or an airplane, and it also means the dividing line between political parties. Isle, on the other hand, is a small island, and it appears mostly in place names such as the Isle of Wight. Phrases such as “down the aisle” and “across the aisle” are about walking and politics, never about water.
By the end, you will learn why “she walked down the isle at her wedding” and “a tropical aisle” are wrong, master the phrases with aisle, learn why aisle has a silent s, and memorize a trick for each word, so you will write aisle and isle correctly in an essay or a story.
Table of Contents
Difference Between Aisle And Isle
The difference between aisle and isle is meaning alone, since the two sound the same. Aisle is a passage between rows, whereas isle is an island, usually a small one.
| Feature | Aisle | Isle |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | a passage between rows, or the dividing line between parties | an island, usually a small one |
| Spelling | starts with “ai”, as in airplane | starts with “is”, as in island |
| Fixed phrases | down the aisle, across the aisle, aisle seat | Isle of Wight, British Isles |
| Example | She walked down the aisle slowly. | We visited the Isle of Skye. |
Meaning Of Aisle
Aisle is a noun for a passage between rows, as in “an aisle seat on the plane” and “the aisle of a supermarket”. In a legislature it means the passage between the two sides, so “both sides of the aisle” means both parties. It is also the side passage of a church, set off from the main space by columns.
Meaning Of Isle
Isle is a noun for an island, most often a small one, as in “a tropical isle” and “the Isle of Wight”. It appears in place names such as the British Isles and the Isle of Wight, and Merriam-Webster gives Pacific isles as an example phrase.
Memory Trick For Aisle And Isle
An aisle is the passage down the middle of an airplane.
An isle is a small island.
If the word starts with ai and a passage is meant, think of the airplane, whereas if it starts with is and water surrounds the place, think of the island.
Is It Down The Aisle Or Down The Isle?
It is down the aisle. The phrase means walking along the passage of a church to be married, and it is also the usual way to say that someone gets married. The phrase is about a passage, so isle is wrong here.
Is It Across The Aisle Or Across The Isle?
It is across the aisle. In a legislature the two parties sit on either side of a central passage, so “reach across the aisle” means to work with the other party, and “both sides of the aisle” means members of both parties.
Is It An Aisle Seat Or An Isle Seat?
It is aisle seat. An aisle seat is the seat next to the passage on an airplane, a train or a bus. By contrast, a window seat is the seat by the window.
Phrases With Aisle
| Phrase | What it means |
|---|---|
| walk down the aisle | get married |
| across the aisle | toward the other political party |
| aisle seat | the seat next to the passage |
| drive aisle | a lane for cars between rows of parking spaces |
| roll in the aisles | laugh helplessly |
Why Aisle Has A Silent S
Merriam-Webster notes that the spelling aisle appears to be a blend of two earlier spellings, aile and isle, so the s came from the island word. The pronunciation, however, did not change. That is why the two words look so close and still mean different things.
Is I’ll The Third Homophone?
A third word, I’ll, sounds the same. It is the contraction of I will, as in “I’ll walk down the aisle”. Even so, it is rarely mistaken for the other two because the apostrophe is easy to see.
Examples Of Aisle And Isle
| Aisle | Isle |
|---|---|
| The milk is in aisle five. | They sailed to a quiet isle. |
| She walked down the aisle slowly. | We visited the Isle of Skye. |
| He asked for an aisle seat. | The isles were lovely in spring. |
| Both sides of the aisle agreed. | A palm-lined isle lay ahead. |
She walked down the isle at her wedding. ❌
She walked down the aisle at her wedding. ✅
The word means a passage, so the spelling is aisle.
We spent a week on a tropical aisle. ❌
We spent a week on a tropical isle. ✅
The word means an island, so the spelling is isle.
FAQs
Yes, aisle and isle are homophones, since both are pronounced alike, with the same sound as I’ll. Only the spelling differs, as in down the aisle and "the Isle of Wight".
It is "walk down the aisle", because the phrase is about a passage and never an island. It means walking along the passage of a church to be married, so isle is wrong here.
Yes, isle most often means a small island, according to Merriam-Webster, while larger landmasses are called islands. A tropical isle is one example, and "the Isle of Wight" is a place name that uses it.
No, the spelling is not different in British and American English, since dictionaries list the same spelling for each word. Aisle and isle are therefore written the same way in both varieties.
A drive aisle is a lane for cars between rows of parking spaces, which makes it a passage between rows in the same way as a supermarket aisle. It is one of the common aisle phrases, alongside aisle seat and across the aisle.
Related:
