Hombre vs. hombro
The Spanish words hombre and hombro are a common point of confusion for learners because they look and sound very similar. However, they have completely different meanings, with one referring to a person and the other to a part of the body.
Hombre
A1The word hombre is a noun that means man. It can also be used to refer to a husband or to humankind in general.
El hombre leyó el periódico en el parque.
(The man read the newspaper in the park.)
Es un hombre de palabra y siempre cumple sus promesas.
(He is a man of his word and always keeps his promises.)
El hombre ha explorado casi todos los rincones del planeta.
(Mankind has explored almost every corner of the planet.)
¡Hombre, claro que te ayudaré con eso!
(Man, of course I will help you with that!)
Mi abuela dice que mi abuelo fue un gran hombre.
(My grandmother says that my grandfather was a great man.)
Hombro
A1The word hombro is a noun that means shoulder. It refers to the part of the human body between the neck and the top of the arm.
Me duele el hombro izquierdo después de levantar cajas pesadas.
(My left shoulder hurts after lifting heavy boxes.)
El niño se durmió sobre el hombro de su padre.
(The child fell asleep on his father's shoulder.)
Ella llevaba un vestido que dejaba un hombro al descubierto.
(She was wearing a dress that left one shoulder bare.)
Mi jefe me dio una palmada en el hombro por mi buen trabajo.
(My boss gave me a pat on the shoulder for my good work.)
Cuando no supo la respuesta, simplemente se encogió de hombros.
(When he didn't know the answer, he simply shrugged his shoulders.)
Summary
In summary, the fundamental difference is their meaning: hombre refers to a person (man), while hombro refers to a body part (shoulder). The spelling difference is just one letter, r, and its placement is key. Remembering that hombre is for a human and hombro is on the body is the easiest way to distinguish them.