Word with different spelling but same pronunciation

This is the second blog post in a three-part series on the relationships between the pronunciation of English words and their spellings. Follow the links for part one of the series on Silent Letters and part three on the Sound System of American English.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, it often happens that the spelling of an English word doesn’t match up well with its pronunciation. There’s another category of word that can also cause confusion; these are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. These words are called “homophones”. If you memorize the most common homophones in English, then you will avoid a lot of potential confusion in your communications. An added bonus of memorizing common homophones is that you will be able to easily understand many jokes, puns, and plays on words that you encounter (or even spice up your conversations by creating such plays on words yourself!)

Without further ado, here is a chart of some of the most common sets of homophones in English. Remember, all of the words in the left column are pronounced the same way. That is, if you say “ate, eight” out loud, then it should sound exactly the same as if you said “ate, ate” or “eight, eight”.

Spelling:	Pronounced:
ad, add	ad
Adam, atom	AD-um
air, err, heir	air
aisle, isle, I’ll	AI-ull
aloud, allowed	uh-LOUD
altar, alter	ALL-ter
ant, aunt	ant
assent, ascent	uh-SENT
ate, eight	ate
bail, bale	bale
ball, bawl	bawl
band, banned	band
bazaar, bizarre	buh-ZAR
bare, bear	bare (rhymes with “air”)
base, bass (instrument)	base (rhymes with “ace”)
be, bee	bee
beat, beet	beet
berry, bury	berry
bin, been	bin
billed, build	bild
bite, byte	byte
blew, blue	bloo
board, bored	bord
brake, break	brake
buy, by, bye	by
carrot, karat	KARE-ut
cell, sell	sell
cent, sent, scent	sent
cereal, serial	serial
chili, chilly, Chile	chill-ee
chews, choose	chooz
cite, site, sight	site
close, clothes	kloz
core, corps	kor
course, coarse	korss
creek, creak	creek
cue, queue	kyoo
days, daze	daze
deer, dear	deer
die, dye	dye
do, due, dew	doo
fair, fare	fare
faze, phase	faze
finish, Finnish	finish
find, fined	find
feudal, futile	FYU-dul
flea, flee	flee
feat, feet	feet
flower, flour	FLOW-er (“flow” rhymes with “cow”)
for, four	for
fowl, foul	FOW-ul
great, grate	grate
groan, grown	grone
Greece, grease	grees
guest, guessed	gest (rhymes with “best”)
gym, Jim	jim
hair, hare	hair
hall, haul	hawl
heal, heel	heel
hear, here	heer
heed, he’d	heed
herd, heard	herd
him, hymn	him
hire, higher	hi-er
hole, whole	hol
horse, hoarse	horse
hostel, hostile	HAHST-ul
hurts, hertz	herts
I, eye	AI
in, inn	in
intense, intents	intense
jewels, joules	joolz
lessen, lesson	less-in
maid, made	made
mail, male	male
manner, manor	manner
meat, meet	meet
metal, medal, meddle	MED-ul
need, knead	need
new, knew	noo
no, know	no
nose, knows	noz
not, knot	not
nun, none	nun
oh, owe	oh
one, won	wun
or, oar	or
our, hour	ow-er
pail, pale	pale
pair, pare, pear	pare
past, passed	past
peace, piece	peese
peer, pier	peer
plane, plain	plane
poll, pole	poll
pour, pore	pore
prince, prints	prins
principal, principle	PRINCE-i-pul
profit, prophet	PRAH-fit
rain, rein, reign	rane
rap, wrap	rap
red, read	red
right, write, rite, wright	rite
ring, wring	ring
road, rode, rowed	rode
roll, role	roll
root, route	root
sail, sale	sale
sea, see	see
seam, seem	seem
seas, sees, seize	seez
seen, scene	seen
seller, cellar	seller
side, sighed	side
so, sow, sew	so
sole, soul, Seoul	sole
some, sum	sum
son, sun	sun
stair, stare	stare
steal, steel	steel
sweet, suite	sweet
sword, soared	sord
tail, tale	tale
taught, taut	tawt
tear (meaning: drop of water), tier	teer
tear (meaning: rip), tare	tair
tense, tents	tense
there, their, they’re	thair
threw, through	threw
thrown, throne	throne
tie, Thai	tye
to, too, two	too
tow, toe	toe
vain, vein	vain
way, weigh	way
wait, weight	wait
weather, whether	wether
week, weak	week
where, wear, ware	ware
which, witch	witch
whose, who’s	hooz
will, we’ll	will
wood, would	wood
wore, war	wore
worn, warn	worn
your, you’re	yer

Do you have further questions about American English, or are you interested in accent training? Reach out and contact me!

The term «homonyms» in its broad meaning includes homonyms, homophones, and homographs. In more specific sense, homonyms are words with the same pronunciation and spelling but different in meaning. Homophones have the same pronunciation but are different in meaning and spelling. Homographs are identical in spelling but differ in meaning and pronunciation. Homophones present the most difficulty for learners of English.

The list below is mostly for intermediate and advanced learners. It includes common homonyms and less frequently used homonyms, with examples illustrating their use. A shorter list of homonyms for beginners is provided in Homonyms Short List in the section Writing.

Note: In many cases, homonyms are words of different origin (i.e., derived from different words). Depending on the definition this or that dictionary provides for the word «homonym» (and definitions of «homonym» may differ), some words in the list below, for example, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», may or may not be considered homonyms as they were derived from one and the same word. For example, «plain» and «plane» were derived from Latin «planus» meaning «flat, level»; «trunk» was derived from Latin «truncus» meaning «truncated, lopped».

Термин «homonyms» в широком смысле включает в себя омонимы, омофоны и омографы. В более определённом смысле, омонимы – это слова с одинаковым произношением и написанием, но разные по значению. Омофоны имеют одинаковое произношение, но различаются в значении и написании. Омографы пишутся одинаково, но имеют разное значение и произношение. Омофоны представляют наибольшую трудность для изучающих английский язык.

Список ниже в основном для изучающих среднего и продвинутого уровня. Он включает в себя распространённые омонимы и менее употребительные омонимы, с примерами, иллюстрирующими их употребление. Более краткий список омонимов для начинающих дан в материале «Homonyms Short List» в разделе Writing.

Примечание: Во многих случаях, омонимы – это слова разного происхождения (т.е. образованные от разных слов). В зависимости от определения, которое тот или иной словарь даёт для слова «homonym» (а определения слова «homonym» могут отличаться), некоторые слова в списке ниже, например, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», могут или не могут считаться омонимами, т.к. они были образованы от одного и того же слова. Например, «plain» и «plane» были образованы от латинского «planus» (плоский, ровный); «trunk» был образован от латинского «truncus» (усечённый, отрубленный).

The same pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое произношение, разное значение)

AIR – HEIR (воздух, проветрить – наследник): fresh air; to air the room; the heir to the throne;

AISLE – ISLE (проход – остров): an aisle seat; to sit on the aisle; the British Isles;

ALTAR – ALTER (алтарь – изменить): to lead to the altar; to alter course; to alter a coat;

AURAL – ORAL (слуховой – устный, ротовой): aural perception; aural surgeon; oral examination; oral cavity;

BAIL – BALE (залог, освобождать под залог – кипа, тюк, связка): he was out on bail; he was bailed out for 1000 dollars; a bale of cotton; a bale of hay;

BALL – BALL (шар, мяч – бал): a ball of fire; to play ball; a ball gown; to open a ball;

BAND – BAND (отряд, группа – тесьма, завязка): a rock band; a rubber band;

BANK – BANK (насыпь, берег – банк): the bank of the river; the Bank of England; a bank account;

BARE – BEAR – BEAR (голый – нести ношу, родить – медведь): with bare hands; I can’t bear it; bear in mind; the polar bear;

BARK – BARK – BARK, BARQUE (лай, лаять – кора – парусное судно): the dog barked at me; the bark of a tree; a bark is a sailing ship;

BASE – BASE (основа, основание, база, базовый, основывать на – низкий, подлый): the base of a mountain; the story is based on real facts; base ingratitude; base conduct;

BAT – BAT – BAT (летучая мышь – бита – моргнуть): blind as a bat; a baseball bat; not to bat an eyelid;

BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY (бухта, залив – ниша, отсек – положение загнанного зверя – лавр – гнедой): Hudson Bay; bay window; an animal at bay; bay leaf; several bay horses;

BE – BEE (быть – пчела): to be or not to be; to be as busy as a bee; a bee in one’s bonnet;

BEAT – BEET (бить – свекла): to beat the drums; beets and carrots;

BERRY – BURY (ягода – хоронить): strawberry jam; to bury the dead; to bury the hatchet;

BERTH – BIRTH (койка – рождение): a single-berth compartment; birth certificate; to give birth to; she is French by birth;

BILL – BILL (счёт, банкнот – клюв): to pay the bill; a ten-dollar bill; a bill is the beak of a bird;

BIT – BIT – BIT (кусочек, немного – удила (часть уздечки), режущий край инструмента, бур, сверло – бит): a bit of butter; wait a bit; this drill has removable bits; the computer term «bit» is a contraction of «binary digit»;

BITE – BYTE (кусать, укус – байт): to bite one’s tongue; his dog bites; a deep bite; insect bites; one kilobyte is 1024 bytes;

BLOCK – BLOC (колода, квартал, преграда, блокировать – блок, объединение): a wooden block; walk two blocks; they blocked the exit; a military bloc;

BORE – BORE – BOAR (бурить – наскучить – кабан): to bore a hole; I’m bored; a wild boar;

BOUGH [bau] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (сук, ветка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): the boughs of a tree; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

BOW [bou] – BEAU [bou] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, галстук-бабочка – кавалер): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; he is her new beau;

BRAKE – BREAK (тормоз, тормозить – перерыв, сломать, разбить): car brakes; let’s take a break; don’t break it;

BUY – BY – BYE (покупать – около, у – Пока!): to buy a car; to sit by the window; Bye-bye!

CACHE – CASH (тайник, запас – наличные деньги): cache memory; to pay cash; I have no cash;

CAN – CAN (мод. гл.: мочь, быть в состоянии – консервная банка, консервировать): I can do it; a can of beer; canned olives;

CANNON – CANON (пушка – правило, закон): water cannon; cannon ball; the canons of taste;

CANVAS – CANVASS (холст, брезент – предвыборная агитация): a painter’s canvas; to canvass a district;

CAPE – CAPE (накидка, плащ – мыс): he was wearing a dark gray cape; the Cape of Good Hope;

CARAT – CARROT (карат – морковь): a two-carat diamond; grated carrots;

CASE – CASE (случай, обстоятельство, положение дел, судебное дело, пример, довод – ящик, коробка, контейнер, футляр, чехол): in case of fire; a criminal case; two cases of wine; a jewel case;

CAST – CASTE (бросать, бросок – каста): to cast a glance; the cast of actors; high caste;

CELL – SELL (отсек, камера, ячейка, клетка – продавать): a prison cell; my cell phone; red blood cells; to buy and sell; to sell books;

CENSOR – SENSOR (цензор – датчик, чувств. элемент): to censor a document; acoustic sensor;

CENT – SCENT (цент – запах): 100 cents in a dollar; a faint scent of roses;

CEREAL – SERIAL (крупа – серийное издание): to eat breakfast cereal; to watch TV serials;

CHASE – CHASE (преследовать, погоня – паз, оправа, гравировать): to chase butterflies; to chase a thief; a wild-goose chase; metal chasing;

CHORD – CHORD – CORD (струна, хорда – аккорд – верёвка, шнур): to strike a deep chord; dissonant chords; electric cord; vocal cords;

CHUTE – SHOOT (скат, жёлоб – стрелять, делать съёмки): down the chute; to shoot a gun; to shoot a film;

CLIP – CLIP (подрезать – зажим, скрепка): to clip the hedge; a paper clip;

COARSE – COURSE (грубый – курс): coarse fabric; a course of lectures;

COLON – COLON (двоеточие – ободочная кишка): put a colon before a long list; colon cancer;

COLONEL – KERNEL (полковник – ядро, суть): lieutenant colonel; almond kernels; the kernel of the question;

COMPLEMENT – COMPLIMENT (комплемент, дополнение – комплимент): verb complement; give a compliment;

COUNCIL – COUNSEL (совет, собрание – совет, адвокат, дать совет): city council; legal counsel;

CREAK – CREEK (скрип, скрипеть – ручей): the floor creaks; a narrow creek;

CUE – CUE – QUEUE (намёк, подсказка – кий – очередь): give a cue; billiard cue; stand in a queue;

CURRANT – CURRENT (смородина – текущий, течение): red currant; current month; ocean current;

DAM – DAMN (плотина – проклятие): to build a dam; damn it; I don’t give a damn;

DEAR – DEER (дорогой – олень): Dear Sir; dear friend; a young deer; several deer;

DESERT [di’zərt] – DESSERT [di’zərt] (покидать – десерт): to desert the village; apple pie for dessert;

DEW – DUE (роса – должный): morning dew; When is the train due? with due respect;

DIE – DYE (умереть – краситель, окрашивать): He died two years ago. She dyed her hair red.

DISCREET – DISCRETE (осмотрительный – разрозненный): discreet silence; discrete parts;

DOE – DOUGH (самка оленя – тесто): a young doe; to roll the dough;

DUAL – DUEL (двойной – дуэль): dual citizenship; dual ownership; to fight a duel; verbal duel;

EARN – URN (зарабатывать – урна): to earn money; to earn a living; to earn respect; cremation urn;

EVE – EAVE, EAVES (канун – карниз, свес крыши): Christmas Eve; on the eve of their wedding; under the eaves;

FAIR – FAIR – FARE (справедливый – ярмарка – плата за проезд): that’s fair; book fair; bus fare;

FAST – FAST (быстрый, прочный – пост, поститься, ничего не есть): he drives too fast; hard-and-fast rules; to observe the fast;

FAUN – FAWN – FAWN (фавн – оленёнок (до одного года), жёлто-коричневый – подлизываться): in mythology, a faun is half man and half goat; fawn color is light yellowish brown; he is fawning on them;

FINE – FINE (прекрасный – штраф): one fine day; fine wine; to pay a fine for speeding;

FIR – FUR (ель – мех): pines and fir trees; a fir cone; a fur coat; natural fur;

FIT – FIT (годиться, подходить по размеру, подходящий – припадок, приступ): this dress fits you perfectly; it is a perfect fit; the food was fit for a king; a fit of coughing; a fit of anger;

FLAIR – FLARE (способность, чутьё – вспыхивать, вспышка): a flair for fashionable clothes; to flare up; a flare of anger;

FLEA – FLEE (блоха – спасаться бегством): a flea market; to flee the country;

FLAT – FLAT (плоский, плоская поверхность – квартира): flat roof; the flat of the hand; a block of flats;

FLOUR – FLOWER (мука – цветок): two cups of flour; a bunch of flowers;

FOREWORD – FORWARD (предисловие – вперёд): a foreword in a book; to move forward;

FORT – FORTE (форт – сильная сторона): a military fort; good spelling is her forte;

FOUL – FOWL (отвратительный, грязный – птица, дичь): foul smell; foul words; domestic fowl;

GAIT – GATE (походка – ворота): heavy gait; slow gait; to open the gate;

GILD – GUILD, GILD (золотить – гильдия): to gild the pill; gilded youth; the guild of merchants;

GILT – GUILT (позолота, позолоченный – вина): to cover with gilt; we have no proof of his guilt;

GRATE – GRATE – GREAT (решётка – скрести, тереть – большой, великий, замечательный): metal grate; to grate cheese; a great opportunity;

GRAVE – GRAVE (могила – серьёзный, тяжёлый, важный, мрачный): to dig a grave; grave situation; grave illness; his face was grave;

GROUND – GROUND (земля – молотый): to fall to the ground; freshly ground coffee;

HAIR – HARE (волосы – заяц): she has dark hair and green eyes; he ran like a hare;

HALL – HAUL (коридор, зал – тянуть, тащить): down the hall; a concert hall; to haul the boat;

HANGAR – HANGER (ангар – вешалка): a plane hangar; a coat hanger;

HAY – HEY (сено – эй): to make hay; hay fever; Hey!

HEAL – HEEL (излечивать – пятка, каблук): to heal the wounds; high heels;

HEAR – HERE (слышать – здесь): Did you hear what he said? She doesn’t live here.

HI – HIGH (привет – высокий): Hi, how are you? high walls; high speed; high temperature;

HOARSE – HORSE (хриплый – лошадь): a hoarse voice; to ride a horse;

HOLE – WHOLE (дыра – целый): a small hole in my sock; as a whole; the whole world;

I – EYE (я – глаз): I can see it clearly. My left eye itches.

IDLE – IDOL (неработающий, праздный – идол): idle machinery; idle talk; a teenage idol;

ILLICIT – ELICIT (незаконный – извлечь): illicit access; illicit trade; to elicit the truth; to elicit a reply;

JAM – JAM – JAMB (затор, сдавливать – джем – косяк, стойка): a traffic jam; to jam one’s finger in the door; strawberry jam; a door jamb;

KIND – KIND (сорт, вид – добрый): several kinds of apples; What kind of job are you looking for? it is very kind of you;

KNAP – NAP (дробить – лёгкий сон, дремать): to knap a stone; to take a nap;

KNEAD – NEED (месить, массировать – нужда, нуждаться в): to knead the dough; there is no need to worry; he needs rest;

KNIGHT – NIGHT (рыцарь – ночь): the Knights of the Round Table; a dark night; days and nights;

KNIT – NIT (вязать – гнида, яйцо блохи): to knit a sweater; a knitted cap; nit-picking;

KNOT – NOT (узел – не, нет): a tight knot; not a word; he is not a doctor;

KNOW – NO (знать – не, нет): Do you know him? No, I don’t. I have no time.

LAP – LAP – LAP (место от талии до колен в сидячем положении – один круг, оборот, один этап дистанции – лакать, лакание, плеск): the baby sat in his mother’s lap; a computer on his lap; he does six laps a day in the swimming pool; the dog lapped up the water; the sound of the waves lapping at the shore;

LEAK – LEEK (утечка, давать течь, протекать – лук-порей): a leak in the ship; the roof leaks; wild leek;

LESSEN – LESSON (уменьшить – урок): to lessen pain; to give a lesson; to learn a lesson;

LICHEN – LIKEN (лишайник – уподоблять): lichens are plants; he likens her to a rose;

LIE – LIE – LYE (ложь, лгать – лежать – щёлок): to tell a lie; don’t lie to me; to lie on the floor; a lye solution;

LIGHT – LIGHT – LIGHT (свет, светлый – лёгкий – натолкнуться, опускаться на): bright light; light blue; as light as a feather; light rain; a bird lighted on a branch;

LIME – LIME – LIME (известь – лайм – липа): burnt lime; lime juice; lime tree;

LOAN – LONE (ссуда, дать взаймы – одинокий): a bank loan; she loaned him some money; a lone house; a lone traveler; a lone wolf;

LOOP – LOUPE (петля – лупа): to make a loop; a loophole; a loupe is a magnifying glass;

MAIL – MAIL – MALE (почта, отправить почтой – кольчуга, броня – мужского пола, мужчина): Is there any mail for me? to send by mail; a coat of mail; a male child; a male dog;

MAIN – MANE (главный – грива): the main reason; a horse’s mane;

MAIZE – MAZE (маис, кукуруза – лабиринт): maize oil; a maze of streets; a maze is a labyrinth;

MALL – MAUL (пешеходная аллея – кувалда, калечить): shopping mall; to be badly mauled;

MANTEL – MANTLE (каминная полка – накидка, мантия): mantelpiece; mantelshelf; a silk mantle; the mantle of darkness;

MARSHAL – MARTIAL (маршал, выстроить – военный): air marshal; to marshal facts; martial law;

MATCH – MATCH (спичка – ровня, пара, подходить под пару, состязание, матч): to strike a match; a perfect match of colors; these two things don’t match; a football match;

MEAN – MEAN – MEAN (значить – плохой, скудный, низкий, подлый – средний, средняя величина): What do you mean? a mean trick; it was mean of him; mean time; mean speed;

MEAT – MEET (мясо – встретить): meat and potatoes; to meet a girl; to meet with friends;

MEDAL – MEDDLE (медаль – вмешиваться): a gold medal; to meddle in someone’s affairs;

METAL – METTLE (металл – характер): a metal door; to show one’s mettle; full of mettle;

MIGHT – MIGHT – MITE – MITE (мощь – мод. гл.: быть возможным – клещ – чуточка, капелька): with all his might; it might be true; the itch mite; a mite of consolation;

MISS – MISS (промахнуться, промах, пропускать, скучать по – мисс): he fired twice and missed; a near miss; she missed her bus; he misses his family; Miss Smith; Miss, can you help me?

MOLE – MOLE (родинка – крот): a black mole on the chin; as blind as a mole;

MOOR – MOOR (заболоченная местность – пришвартовать): moorlands have bad soil; to moor a ship;

MOOSE – MOUSSE (лось – мусс): to hunt moose; chocolate mousse;

MORNING – MOURNING (утро – скорбь, траур): on Monday morning; from morning till night; to be in deep mourning;

MUSCLE – MUSSEL (мускул – мидия): strong muscles; a man of muscle; mussels are mollusks;

NAVAL – NAVEL (военно-морской – пупок): naval academy; naval officer; navel infection;

NONE – NUN (ни один – монахиня): none of them; I have none; nuns and monks; she is a nun;

OAR – OR – ORE (весло – или – руда): a four-oar boat; one or two; iron ore;

PAIL – PALE (ведро – бледный): a pail of water; his face is pale; pale gray;

PAIN – PANE (боль – оконное стекло): dull pain; a pain in the chest; to take pains; window pane;

PAIR – PARE – PEAR (пара – очищать от кожуры – груша): a pair of gloves; to pare an apple; apples and pears;

PAT – PAT (шлепок, хлопок, похлопать, погладить – подходящий, уместный): a pat on the back; to pat a dog; a pat answer;

PEA – slang: PEE (горох – моча, мочиться): green peas; pea soup; to take a pee;

PEACE – PIECE (мир, покой – кусок): peace and quiet; a piece of bread; a piece of paper;

PEAK – PEEK – PIQUE (пик – заглянуть, взглянуть – уязвить, возбудить): a mountain peak; to peek into the hole; his curiosity was piqued;

PEAL – PEEL (звон колоколов, звонить в колокола – кожица, корка, чистить фрукты, овощи): to peal the bells; apple peel; to peel potatoes;

PEDAL – PEDDLE (педаль – торговать вразнос, мелочами): the gas pedal; to peddle goods from door to door;

PEER – PEER – PIER (сверстник, ровня – вглядываться – причал, пирс): peer group; to be judged by one’s peers; she peered into the dark room; the boat is at the pier;

PINE – PINE (сосна – чахнуть, тосковать): pines grow in many regions of the world; a pine forest; to pine with grief; she is pining for home;

PIT – PIT (яма – косточка фрукта, вынимать косточки): to dig a pit; air pit; orchestra pit; the pit of the stomach; a cherry pit (BrE: a cherry stone); to pit cherries (peaches, plums); to remove the pits;

PITCH – PITCH (бросок, высота/уровень/степень, бросать, сооружать – смола): a high-pitched voice; a high pitch of anxiety; to pitch a baseball; to pitch a tent; as black as pitch;

PLACE – PLAICE (место – камбала европейская): it is a good place for a picnic; plaice is European flatfish;

PLAIN – PLANE (ясный, очевидный, простой, равнина – плоскость, плоский): plain answer; plain food; the Great Plains; horizontal plane; plane geometry;

PLANE – PLANE – PLANE (самолёт – рубанок – платан): to go by plane; an airplane; a plane is a tool for smoothing wooden surfaces; a plane tree, or plane, is a large tree with broad leaves;

PLUM – PLUMB (слива – отвес): plums and peaches; to pick the plums; plumb line; plumb bob;

POLE – POLE – POLL (столб, шест – полюс – список избирателей, подсчет голосов, опрос): a telegraph pole; the North Pole; public opinion poll; exit poll;

PORE – PORE – POUR (обдумывать, изучать – пора (в коже) – лить): to pore over a problem; pores in the skin; to pour water into a glass;

POUND – POUND (фунт – колотить): a pound of cheese; to change dollars for pounds; to pound on the door;

PRAY – PREY (молиться – жертва, добыча): to pray to God; easy prey; birds of prey;

PRINCIPAL – PRINCIPLE (главный, начальник – принцип): principal cause; the school principal; a man of principle; on principle;

PROFIT – PROPHET (выгода, прибыль – пророк): profit and loss; he sold his house at a profit; the word «prophet» meant «speaker» in Greek;

PRUNE – PRUNE (чернослив – обрезать ветви, убирать лишнее): prunes are dried plums; to prune trees; to prune costs;

PRY – PRY (любопытствовать, совать нос – с силой / с трудом сдвинуть, открыть, вырвать): to pry into other people’s affairs; to pry the door open;

RACE – RACE (раса – скачки, гонка): the human race; horse racing; a race horse; race cars;

RACK – RACK – WRACK (вешалка, подставка, полка – пытка, пытать, мучить – разрушение, гибель): dish rack; luggage rack; to rack one’s brains; to go to wrack and ruin (also: to go to rack and ruin);

RAIN – REIGN – REIN (дождь – царствование – вожжа): it looks like rain; during his reign; a pair of reins;

RAP – WRAP (лёгкий удар, слегка/быстро ударять, стучать – шаль, шарф, обёртывать, завернуть): he rapped at the door; she wrapped the package in brown paper;

READ – REED (читать – тростник): to read a book; reed grows near water;

REEK – WREAK (вонь, вонять – излить на): to reek of alcohol; to wreak havoc on the enemy;

REST – REST – WREST (отдых, отдыхать – остаток, остальное – вырвать силой): rest a little; leave the rest of them here; to wrest a knife from someone’s hands;

RETCH – WRETCH (вызывать рвоту – жалкий человек, негодяй): it made her retch; a poor wretch;

REVIEW – REVUE (обзор, рецензия, рассматривать – ревю): to write a review; theatrical revue;

RIGHT – RITE – WRITE (правильный, правый, право – обряд – писать): that’s right; my right hand; civil rights; funeral rites; write a letter;

RING – RING – WRING (кольцо – звонить – скручивать): a wedding ring; to ring a bell; to wring one’s hands;

ROCK – ROCK (скала, камень – качать, качаться, качание): as firm as a rock; to rock the cradle; to rock the boat;

ROLE – ROLL (роль – рулон, катить): to play a role; a roll of toilet paper; the ball rolled away;

ROOT – ROUTE (корень – маршрут): the roots of the tree; Route 10; bus route;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rou] – ROE [rou] – ROE [rou] (ряд – грести – косуля – икра рыб): to sit in the first row; to stand in a row; to row the boat; a roe deer is also called a roe; the roe of sturgeon is called caviar;

RYE – WRY (рожь – кривой): rye bread; rye whiskey; a wry smile; a wry look;

SAIL – SALE (парус, плыть – распродажа): to sail on a ship; I bought it on sale;

SAW – SAW (пила, пилить – старинная пословица, изречение): to saw a log; an old saw;

SEA – SEE (море – видеть): the Black Sea; I want to see the sea. Have you ever seen the sea at sunrise? Did you see it?

SEAL – SEAL (печать, ставить печать, запечатывать – тюлень): the seal of fate; to seal an envelope; seals are sea mammals;

SEAM – SEEM (шов – казаться): Please take it in at the seams. She seems to be a little nervous.

SERF – SURF (крепостной, раб – прибой, плыть на гребне волны, заниматься серфингом): liberation of the serfs; the sound of the surf; to ride a surfboard; surfing;

SEW – SO – SOW (шить – так – сеять): to sew a dress; be so kind; to sow the seeds;

SHEAR – SHEER – SHEER (срезать, ножницы – прозрачный, абсолютный – отклониться от курса): to shear sheep; a pair of shears; sheer stockings; sheer nonsense; the ship was able to sheer off to avoid the collision;

SIGHT – SITE – CITE (вид, зрение – место – цитировать): a beautiful sight; to see the sights; good eyesight; construction site; website; to cite from a book;

SLAY – SLEIGH (сразить, умертвить – сани): slain by a bullet; a horse-drawn sleigh; sleigh bells;

SLEIGHT – SLIGHT – SLIGHT (ловкость – небольшой – пренебрежение, пренебрегать): a sleight of hand; a slight fever; to slight one’s duties;

SOAR – SORE (парить, взмывать – болячка, воспалённый): prices soared; a cold sore; a sore throat;

SOLE – SOLE – SOLE – SOUL (единственный – подошва – камбала – душа): sole heir; shoe sole; fillet of sole; body and soul;

SOME – SUM (какой-то, некоторый – сумма): I need some money; a large sum of money;

SON – SUN (сын – солнце): he is my son; she has three sons; the sun is shining;

SOUND – SOUND – SOUND – SOUND (звук – здоровый – зонд, щуп, измерять глубину, зондировать – узкий пролив): the sounds of music; a sound mind in a sound body; to sound the depth; the Long Island Sound;

STABLE – STABLE (конюшня – стабильный, прочный): a stable full of horses; a stable position;

STAIR – STARE (ступенька – пристально смотреть): go down the stairs; don’t stare at people;

STAKE – STAKE – STEAK (кол, столб – ставка – бифштекс): to pull up stakes; the stakes are high; I’d like a steak for dinner;

STALK – STALK (стебель – выслеживать, подкрадываться): corn stalk; to stalk a deer;

STATIONARY – STATIONERY (неподвижный – писчая бумага и др. канц. товары): stationary bicycle; letterhead stationery;

STEAL – STEEL (красть – сталь): to steal money; to steal a kiss; stainless steel; a heart of steel;

STEP – STEPPE (шаг, шагнуть – степь): the next step; to step forward; alpine steppe;

STICK – STICK (палка, палочка – воткнуть, проколоть, вставить, высунуть, приклеить): he struck him with a stick; to stick a needle into one’s finger; to stick a stamp on an envelope;

STRAIGHT – STRAIT (прямой – узкий пролив): a straight road; the Strait of Gibraltar;

SUITE – SWEET (комплект, номер-люкс, сюита – сладкий): a hotel suite; this cake is too sweet;

TAIL – TALE (хвост – рассказ): a bird with a long tail; a long and interesting tale;

TEA – TEE – TEE (чай – T-образный – метка для мяча в гольфе): a cup of tea; a tea party; a tee joint; to a tee; to tee off;

TEAM – TEEM (команда, объединяться – изобиловать): a football team; to teem with fish;

TEAR – TIER (слеза – ярус): tears in her eyes; the second tier;

THYME – TIME (тимьян – время): thyme is used for seasoning; I need more time;

TIC – TICK – TICK – TICK (тик – тикать, тиканье, галочка – клещ – чехол для матраца): to suffer from tic; the ticking of the clock; to mark with a tick; tick fever; bedtick;

TIP – TIP – TIP – TIP (кончик – наклонить – чаевые – намёк, совет, предупредить): the tip of the tongue; to tip the scales; a one-dollar tip; to give a tip; useful tips on gardening; to tip off;

TOAST – TOAST (тост, гренок – тост за): a piece of toast; I’d like to propose a toast to Alan’s health;

TOE – TOW (палец ноги – буксир, буксировать): I stubbed my toe; a tow truck; to tow a car;

TOO – TWO (тоже – два): I like it too. I spent two days at the lake.

TRAIN – TRAIN (поезд – учить, тренировать): to go by train; to train nurses; to train for the championship;

TRUNK – TRUNK (ствол дерева, туловище, хобот слона – сундук, багажник): the trunk of a tree; an elephant’s trunk; a wooden trunk; the trunk of a car;

VAIN – VANE – VEIN (тщетный, тщеславный – флюгер, лопасть – вена): in vain; she is vain; a weather vane; the vanes of a turbine; veins carry blood to the heart;

VICE – VISE, VICE (порок – тиски): vice squad; organized vice; table vise; vise clamp;

WAIL – WHALE (вопль, вой, вопить, выть – кит): a wail of grief; to wail with pain; killer whales;

WAIST – WASTE (талия – излишняя трата): a slender waist; a waste of time; to waste money;

WAIT – WEIGHT (ждать – вес): to wait for an hour; her weight is 65 kilograms;

WAIVE – WAVE (отказаться от требования – волна, качаться, махать): to waive a claim; ocean waves; a wave of emotion; to wave a flag;

WARE – WEAR – WHERE (изделия – одежда, носить одежду – где): glassware; kitchenware; women’s wear; sportswear; she is wearing a suit; Where is Mike?

WAY – WEIGH – WHEY (путь – взвесить – молочная сыворотка): to find a way; the shortest way; to weigh potatoes; she weighs 65 kilograms; curd and whey;

WEAK – WEEK (слабый – неделя): weak eyes; weak will; next week; for two weeks;

WEATHER – WHETHER (погода – ли): nice weather; ask her whether she wants to go;

WELL – WELL (хорошо – колодец): very well; to feel well; a deep well;

WET – WHET (мокрый – обострить): wet hands; wet floor; to whet a knife; to whet the appetite;

WHICH – WITCH (который – ведьма, колдунья): which of these; Which bag is yours? She is a real witch.

WHINE – WINE (скулить – вино): my dog often whines; stop whining; red wine; French wines;

WILL – WILL (вспом. и мод. гл.: будет – воля, желание, завещание): he will see you tomorrow; he has the will to succeed;

YOKE – YOLK (ярмо, хомут, иго – желток): the yoke of slavery; the yolk of an egg.

The same spelling, different pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое написание, разное произношение, разное значение)

BOW [bou] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, бант, галстук-бабочка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

DESERT [‘dezərt] – DESERT [di’zərt] (пустыня – покидать): the Sahara Desert; he deserted her;

FORTE [fo:rt] – FORTE [‘fo:rtei], [‘fo:rti] (сильная сторона – муз.: форте): good spelling is her forte; forte-piano;

LEAD [li:d] – LEAD [led] (вести – свинец): this road leads to the lake; as heavy as lead;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rau] (ряд – ссора): Please stand in a row. My neighbors had a row yesterday.

SOW [sou] – SOW [sau] (сеять – свинья): to sow the seeds; to raise sows;

TEAR [tiər] – TEAR [teər] (слеза – рвать): tears in her eyes; to tear up his letter;

WIND [wind] – WIND [waind] (ветер – извиваться, заводить): a cold wind; to wind the clock.

Note: Homonyms in the form of proper names are not included in the list because there may be hundreds of them. Examples: bet – Bette; bell – Belle; bill – Bill; may – May – Mae; cliff – Cliff; penny – Penny; capital – Capitol; grease – Greece; main – Maine. (Омонимы в виде имён собственных не включены в список, т.к. их могут быть сотни.)

Homonyms with certain word forms

Many other homonyms occur when verbs, nouns, or pronouns are used in certain forms showing person, number, or tense. Word order and meaning help us to distinguish between such homonyms aurally. Examples: He left the house to his son. The house on the left belongs to my aunt. The list below provides examples of word forms that have the same pronunciation as some other words.

Многие другие омонимы возникают, когда глаголы, существительные или местоимения употреблены в некоторых формах, показывающих лицо, число или время. Порядок слов и значение помогают нам различить такие омонимы на слух. Примеры: He left the house to his son. (Он оставил дом своему сыну.) The house on the left belongs to my aunt. (Дом слева принадлежит моей тёте.) Список ниже дает примеры словоформ, которые имеют одинаковое произношение с некоторыми другими словами.

Third person singular:

sees – seize – seas (видит – схватить – моря); knows – nose (знает – нос); brews – bruise (варит – синяк); adds – ads (добавляет – объявления); links – lynx (соединяет – рысь); means – means (значит – средство); pries – prize (суёт нос в чужие дела – приз); prays – praise (молится – похвала, хвалить);

Past Indefinite:

allowed – aloud (разрешил – вслух); banned – band (запретил – отряд, группа); bored – board (заскучавший – доска); fined – find (оштрафовал – найти); leased – least (арендовал – наименьший); missed – mist (пропустил – туман); passed – past (прошёл – прошлое); owed – ode (был должен – ода); mowed – mode (скосил – способ); towed – toad (буксировал – жаба); mustered – mustard (собрал – горчица); tied – tide (связал – прилив);

led – lead [led] (вёл – свинец); read [red] – red (прочитал – красный); rode – road (ехал – дорога); made – maid (сделал – девушка); saw (увидел) – saw (пила); sent – cent (послал – цент); blew – blue (подул – синий); flew – flu (летел – грипп); knew – new (знал – новый); threw – through (бросил – сквозь); ate – eight (ел – восемь); won – one (выиграл – один); heard – herd (слышал – стадо); left – left (ушёл – левый); wore – war (был одет в – война); would – wood;

Past Participle:

ground – ground (молотый – земля); grown – groan (выращенный – стон); mown – moan (скошенный – стон); thrown – throne (брошенный – трон); seen – scene (увиденный – сцена); lain – lane (пролежавший – узкая дорога);

Plural nouns:

rays – raise (лучи – поднять); days – daze (дни – оцепенение); rows – rose – rose (ряды – роза – поднялся); brows – browse (брови – просматривать); claws – clause (когти – статья, пункт); seas – seize (моря – схватить); feet – feat (ступни, ноги – достижение, подвиг, мастерство);

Pronouns:

him – hymn (его – гимн); mine – mine (мой – рудник, мина); our – hour (наш – час); their – there (их – там);

Contractions:

who’s – whose (кто есть – чей); it’s – its (это есть – её); there’s – theirs (там есть – их); I’ll – aisle (я буду – проход); he’ll – heel (он будет – пятка); we’ll – wheel (мы будем – колесо); we’d – weed (мы бы – сорняк); he’d – heed (он бы – внимание);

Words with suffixes:

fourth – forth (четвёртый – вперёд); higher – hire (выше – нанимать); miner – minor (шахтёр – небольшой); chilly – chili (холодный – перец чили); wholly – holy (целиком – святой);

Two-word combination – one word:

all ready – already (всё готово – уже); all together – altogether (все вместе – вполне, совсем); any way – anyway (любой путь – во всяком случае); he may be there – maybe he is there (он может быть там – возможно он там); mean time (среднее время) – meantime (тем временем).

Note: In British English, homonyms (homophones) may also occur in some of those cases where the sound [r] is not pronounced in words. For example: arms – alms; pour – paw; sore – saw; sort – sought; court – caught, etc. Such words are not homophones in American English where the sound [r] is pronounced in all cases. Note that «ant» and «aunt», pronounced [ænt], are homophones in American English.

Homonymous constructions

In English, not only words but whole constructions can be homonymous in their structure. Due to the limited number of different grammatical forms, the same form is used in different functions. For example, there are only two case forms for personal pronouns (I — me, he – him, we – us, etc.) and only one case form for nouns (i.e., in fact there are no case forms for nouns); the ending ING is used for gerund, present participle, and some adjectives; IT is used as a pronoun in the third person singular for inanimate objects and as a grammatical subject in impersonal sentences. As a result, homonymous constructions appear. Compare these examples:

В английском языке не только слова, но и целые конструкции могут быть омонимичными по своему построению. Из-за ограниченного числа разных грамматических форм, одна и та же форма используется в разных функциях. Например, есть только две формы падежей для личных местоимений (I — me, he – him, we – us и т.д.) и только одна форма падежей для существительных (т.е. фактически нет форм падежей существительных); окончание ING используется для герундия, причастия настоящего времени и некоторых прилагательных; IT используется как местоимение в 3 лице ед. числа для неодушевлённых предметов и как грамматическое подлежащее в безличных предложениях. Как результат, появляются омонимичные конструкции. Сравните эти примеры:

She called him a taxi. (Она вызвала ему такси.) – She called him an idiot. (Она назвала его идиотом.)

They made him a hero. (Они сделали его героем.) – They made him a sandwich. (Они сделали ему бутерброд.)

I see a moving ‘truck. (Я вижу движущийся грузовик.) – I see a ‘moving truck. (Я вижу грузовик для перевозки мебели.)

He is reading. (Он читает.) – He is interesting. (Он интересный.)

It’s water. (Это вода.) – It’s Monday. (Понедельник. – т.е. Сегодня понедельник.)

It’s cold. (Оно холодное. – о предмете) – It’s cold. (Холодно. – о погоде)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either homographs – words that have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation) – or homophones – words that have the same pronunciation (regardless of spelling) –, or both.^[1] Using this definition, the words row (propel with oars), row (a linear arrangement) and row (an argument) are homonyms because they are homographs (though only the first two are homophones): so are the words see (vision) and sea (body of water), because they are homophones (though not homographs).

A more restrictive and technical definition requires that homonyms be simultaneously homographs and homophones^[1] – that is to say they have identical spelling and pronunciation, but with different meanings. Examples are the pair stalk (part of a plant) and stalk (follow/harass a person) and the pair left (past tense of leave) and left (opposite of right).

A distinction is sometimes made between true homonyms, which are unrelated in origin, such as skate (glide on ice) and skate (the fish), and polysemous homonyms, or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth (of a river) and mouth (of an animal).^[2][3]

The relationship between a set of homonyms is called homonymy, and the associated adjective is homonymous, homonymic, or in latin, equivocal.

The adjective «homonymous» can additionally be used wherever two items share the same name,^[4][5] independent of how closely they are or are not related in terms of their meaning or etymology. For example, the name Ōkami is homonymous with the Japanese term for «wolf» (ōkami).

Etymology[edit]

The word homonym comes from the Greek ὁμώνυμος (homonymos), meaning «having the same name»,^[6] compounded from ὁμός (homos) ‘common, same, similar’^[7] and ὄνομα (onoma) ‘name’.^[8]

[edit]

Term	Meaning	Spelling	Pronunciation
Homonym	Different	Same	Same
Homograph	Different	Same	(No requirement)
Homophone word	Different	(No requirement)	Same
Homophone phrase	Different	Different	Same to varying degree
Heteronym	Different	Same	Different
Heterograph	Different	Different	Same
Polyseme	Different but related	Same	(No requirement)
Capitonym	Different when capitalized	Same except for capitalization	(No requirement)
Synonym	Same	Different	Different
Antonym	Opposite	Different	Different
Auto-antonym	Opposite	Same	(No requirement)
Synophone	Different	Different	Similar[9]
Cognate	Same	Similar	Similar

Several similar linguistic concepts are related to homonymy. These include:

• Homographs (literally «same writing») are usually defined as words that share the same spelling, regardless of how they are pronounced.^{[note 1]} If they are pronounced the same then they are also homophones (and homonyms) – for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin of a tree). If they are pronounced differently then they are also heteronyms – for example, bow (the front of a ship) and bow (a ranged weapon).
• Homophones (literally «same sound») are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.^{[note 2]} If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally «different writing»). Homographic examples include rose (flower) and rose (past tense of rise). Heterographic examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re. Due to their similar yet non-identical pronunciation in American English, ladder and latter do not qualify as homophones, but rather synophones.^[10]
• Heteronyms (literally «different name») are the subset of homographs (words that share the same spelling) that have different pronunciations (and meanings).^{[note 3]} Such words include desert (to abandon) and desert (arid region); tear (to rip) and tear (a drop of moisture formed in one eye); row (to argue or an argument) and row (as in to row a boat or a row of seats – a pair of homophones). Heteronyms are also sometimes called heterophones (literally «different sound»).
• Polysemes are words with the same spelling and distinct but related meanings. The distinction between polysemy and homonymy is often subtle and subjective, and not all sources consider polysemous words to be homonyms. Words such as mouth, meaning either the orifice on one’s face, or the opening of a cave or river, are polysemous and may or may not be considered homonyms.
• Capitonyms are words that share the same spelling but have different meanings when capitalized (and may or may not have different pronunciations). Such words include polish (make shiny) and Polish (from Poland); march (walk in step) and March (the third month of the Year) and the pair: reading (using a book) and Reading (towns in, among other places, England).

Further examples[edit]

A homonym which is both a homophone and a homograph is fluke, meaning:

• A fish, and a flatworm.
• The end parts of an anchor.
• The fins on a whale’s tail.
• A stroke of luck.

These meanings represent at least three etymologically separate lexemes, but share the one form, fluke.*^[11] Fluke is also a capitonym, in that Fluke Corporation (commonly referred to as simply «Fluke») is a manufacturer of industrial testing equipment.

Similarly, a river bank, a savings bank, a bank of switches, and a bank shot in the game of pool share a common spelling and pronunciation, but differ in meaning.

The words bow and bough are examples where there are two meanings associated with a single pronunciation and spelling (the weapon and the knot); two meanings with two different pronunciations (the knot and the act of bending at the waist), and two distinct meanings sharing the same sound but different spellings (bow, the act of bending at the waist, and bough, the branch of a tree). In addition, it has several related but distinct meanings – a bent line is sometimes called a ‘bowed’ line, reflecting its similarity to the weapon. Even according to the most restrictive definitions, various pairs of sounds and meanings of bow, Bow and bough are homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms, heterographs, capitonyms and are polysemous.

• bow – a long stick with horse hair that is used to play certain string instruments such as the violin
• bow – to bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. «bow down»)
• bow – the front of the ship (e.g. «bow and stern»)
• bow – a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie)
• bow – to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a «bow-legged» cowboy)
• Bow – a district in London
• bow – a weapon to shoot projectiles with (e.g. a bow and arrow)

A lime can refer to a fruit or a material. A mold (mould) can refer to a fungus or an industrial cast.

The words there, their, and they’re are examples of three words that are of a singular pronunciation, have different spellings and vastly different meanings. These three words are commonly misused (or, alternatively, misspelled).

• there – «The bow shot the arrow there,» he said as he pointed.
• their – «It was their bow and arrow.» the Mother said.
• they’re – They’re not going to get to shoot the bow again after puncturing the tire (tyre) on Daddy’s car. (Contraction of They and Are.)

The words metal and mettle are polysemes and homophones, but not homographs.

Homonyms in historical linguistics[edit]

Homonymy can lead to communicative conflicts and thus trigger lexical (onomasiological) change.^[12] This is known as homonymic conflict. This leads to a species of informal fallacy of thought and argument called by the latin name equivocation.

See also[edit]

• False friends, words from different languages that appear similar but differ in meaning
• Synonyms, different words with identical or very similar meanings (conceptual inversion of «homonym»)
• Riddle
• Word play

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Christman, Robert (2002). Homonyms: Why English Suffers (Paperback). Las Cruces, New Mexico: Barbed Wire Publishing. ISBN 9780971193055.
• Hobbs, James B. (November 2014). Homophones and Homographs: An American Dictionary (E-book) (4th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9781476603933.
• Joshi, Manik (June 25, 2014). Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs (E-book). Manik Joshi. ISBN 9781468948554.
• Rothwell · 2007, David (2007). Dictionary of Homonyms (Paperback). Ware England: Wordsworth Reference. ISBN 9781840225426.

This word set can be confusing, even for word geeks. Let’s start with the basics. A homograph is a word that has the same spelling as another word but has a different sound and a different meaning:

lead (to go in front of)/lead (a metal)

wind (to follow a course that is not straight)/wind (a gust of air)

bass (low, deep sound)/bass (a type of fish)

A homophone is a word that has the same sound as another word but has a different meaning. Homophones may or may not have the same spelling. Here are some examples:

to/two/too

there/their/they’re

pray/prey

Not so bad, right? The ending –graph means drawn or written, so a homograph has the same spelling. The –phone ending means sound or voice, so a homophone has the same pronunciation. But here’s where it gets tricky. Depending on whom you talk to, homonym means either:

A word that is spelled like another but has a different sound and meaning (homograph); a word that sounds like another but has a different spelling and meaning (homophone)

OR

A word that is spelled and pronounced like another but has a different meaning (homograph and homophone)

So does a homonym have to be both a homograph and a homophone, or can it be just one or the other? As with most things in life, it depends on whom you ask.

In the strictest sense, a homonym must be both a homograph and a homophone. So say many dictionaries. However, other dictionaries allow that a homonym can be a homograph or a homophone.

With so many notable resources pointing to the contrary, are we losing this strict meaning? What then will we call a word that is spelled and pronounced the same as another but has a different meaning? If homonym retains all these meanings, how will readers know what is actually meant?

The careful writer would do well to follow the strict sense, ensuring his meaning is understood immediately.

What do you call words with different spelling but same pronunciation?

heteronym

What are two words that sound the same but are spelled differently?

HOMONYMS are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Homophones are a type of homonym that also sound alike and have different meanings, but have different spellings.

What are examples of homophones?

Some common examples of homophones, including the words used in a sentence, are:

• brake/break: When teaching my daughter how to drive, I told her if she didn’t hit the brake in time she would break the car’s side mirror.
• cell/sell: If you sell drugs, you will get arrested and end up in a prison cell.

What is it called when several words in a text have the same vowel sound?

Assonance (ăs’ə-nəns) is a literary device in which vowel sounds are repeated within phrases or sentences that are close to each other in the text. It can even occur within individual words. Assonance can involve the repetition of identical vowel sounds, or vowel sounds that are very similar.

When two words are spelled the same with different meanings?

When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms.

Is a oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or group of words (as in Shakespeare’s line from Romeo and Juliet, “Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!”). A paradox is a statement or argument that seems to be contradictory or to go against common sense, but that is yet perhaps still true—for example, “less is more.”

What are some examples of multiple meaning words?

Homonyms, or multiple-meaning words, are words that have the same spelling and usually sound alike, but have different meanings (e.g. dog bark, tree bark).

What is it called when one word has multiple meanings?

Polysemy (/pəˈlɪsɪmi/ or /ˈpɒlɪsiːmi/; from Greek: πολύ-, polý-, “many” and σῆμα, sêma, “sign”) is the capacity for a word or phrase to have multiple meanings, usually related by contiguity of meaning within a semantic field.

Is multiple two or more?

Kids Definition of multiple : being or consisting of more than one We need multiple copies. : the number found by multiplying one number by another 35 is a multiple of 7.

Can two things be multiple?

Yes it can; however, good writing should not be ambiguous, so as to imply there are more of something than actually are. For example: “Multiple police officers responded to a call about a robbery.” That could mean two, but most people will imagine that there are more than two. I think the best writing is ambiguous.

What is the quantity of multiple?

In science, a multiple is the product of any quantity and an integer. In other words, for the quantities a and b, we say that b is a multiple of a if b = na for some integer n, which is called the multiplier. If a is not zero, this is equivalent to saying that b/a is an integer.

What is the multiple of 7?

Multiples of 7 are the numbers obtained by multiplying 7 with other numbers. The first five multiples of 7 are 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35.

What are the multiples of 7 from 1 to 100?

The multiples of 7 between 1 to 100 are 7 , 14 , 21 , 28 , 35 , 42 , 49 , 56 , 63 , 70, 77, 84, 91, 98.

How do you find a number is multiple of 7?

The multiples of a whole number are obtained by calculating the product of any of the counting numbers and that of the whole numbers. For example, to find the multiples of the number 7, we will multiply 7 by 1, 7 by 2, 7 by 3, etc. The multiples are the product of this multiplication.

What are the first 10 multiples of 31?

The first 10 multiples of 31 are 31, 62, 93, 124, 155, 186, 217, 248, 279 and 310.

What are the first 5 multiples of 5?

The first five multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25.

What are the first 5 multiples of 33?

The first 5 multiples of 33 are 66, 99, 132, 165. The sum of the first 5 multiples of 33 is 462 and the average of the first 5 multiples of 33 is 92.4. Multiples of 33: 66, 99, 132, 165, 198, 231, 264, 297, 330, 363, 396 and so on.

What is the least common multiple of 10 and 15?

30

read – /riːd/ (the same as “reed”) means to perceive information provided in a written form; /rɛd/ (the same as “red”) is the past tense of the verb “to read”.

live – to /lɪv/ (rhyming with “give”) is a verb meaning “to be alive” /əˈlaɪv/; /laɪv/ (rhyming with “dive”) is an adjective meaning “being alive”.

wind – /wɪnd/ (rhyming with “pinned”) is a movement of air (it can also be a verb meaning “to blow to a wind instrument”); to /waɪnd/ (rhyming with “kind”) is a verb meaning “to turn, especially something around something else”. For example, a river or a way can “wind” /waɪnd/, or you can wind /waɪnd/ a wire around a coil.

wound – a /wuːnd/ (rhyming with “spooned”) is an injury; /waʊnd/ (rhyming with “sound”) is the past tense of the verb “wind” (/waɪnd/, see above).

tear – to /tɛə/ (UK), /tɛr/ (US) (rhyming with “fair”) means “to rip a solid material” (a /tɛə/ (UK), /tɛr/ (US) is a hole caused by tearing /tɛrɪŋ/); a /tɪə/ (UK), /tɪr/ (US) (rhyming with “dear”) is a water drop coming from someone’s eyes.

bow – a /bəʊ/ (UK), /boʊ/ (US) (rhyming with “snow”) is a medieval weapon or a device used to play the violin and other bowed /bəʊd/ (UK), /boʊd/ (US) (like “boat”) instruments (it can also be a verb meaning “to become bent” or “to play a bowed instrument”); to /baʊ/ (rhyming with “cow”, pronounced the same as “bough”) is a verb meaning “to bend oneself in a gesture of showing respect”.

row – /rəʊ/ (UK), /roʊ/ (US) (rhyming with “low”) is a line of objects (or a verb meaning “to propel a boat in water a using oars”); a /raʊ/ (rhyming with “cow”) is a noisy argument (to /raʊ/ means “to argue noisily”). (Also, J. K. Rowling is pronounced /rəʊlɪŋ/)

sow – to /səʊ/ (UK), /soʊ/ (US) (the same as “so”) means “to scatter plant seeds” (you can sow a field, for example) and it is pronounced exactly the same as “to sew” (i.e. as “so”, not as “Sue”) meaning “to use thread and a needle to join two pieces of fabric”; a /saʊ/ (rhyming with “cow”) is a female pig.

sewer – a /ˈsuːə/ (UK), /ˈsuːər/ (US) (rhyming with “newer”) is a pipe used to remove liquid human waste; a /ˈsəʊə/ (UK), /ˈsoʊər/ (US) (rhyming with “lower”) is someone who sews (/səʊz/ (UK), /soʊz/ (US), see above).

close – to /kləʊz/ (UK), /kloʊz/ (US) (rhyming with “doze”) is the opposite of the verb “open”; /kləʊs/ (notice the “s” at the end) is an adjective meaning “near”.

excuse – to /ɪkˈskjuːz/ or /ɛksˈkjuːz/ (rhyming with “lose”) means to forgive somebody for something that they have done; an /ɪkˈskjuːs/ or /ɛksˈkjuːs/(rhyming with “juice”, notice the “s” at the end) is an explanation designed to avoid negative judgement.

Polish – to /ˈpɒlɪʃ/ (UK), /ˈpɑlɪʃ/ (US) (beginning like ”pot”) means “to make a surface smooth”; /ˈpəʊlɪʃ/ (UK), /ˈpoʊlɪʃ/ (beginning like “Poe” (Edgar Allan, the writer)) refers to the language or the nation based in Poland /ˈpəʊlənd/ (UK), /ˈpoʊlənd/ (US).

lead – to /liːd/ (rhyming with “seed”) means “to guide or conduct” (/liːd/ can also be a noun meaning “the act of leading”); /lɛd/ (rhyming with “red”) is a chemical element with the symbol “Pb” (“plumbum” in Latin).

graduate – a /ˈɡrædʒuət/ (with “oo-ət” at the end) is a person holding an academic degree; to /ˈɡrædʒueɪt/ (rhyming with “late”) means to obtain an academic degree. Notice that although the pronunciation is different, there is no difference in stress position.

does – /dʌz/ (rhyming with “fuzz”) is the third person of the verb “to do”; /dəʊz/ (UK), /doʊz/ (US) (the same as “doze”) is the plural form of the noun “doe” (a female deer).

bass – a /beɪs/ (like “phase” but with “s” at the end, not “z”) is the lowest voice in a harmony (/beɪs/ is also an adjective meaning “low sounding”); a /bæs/ is a member of a certain species of fish.

number – /ˈnʌmbə/ (UK), /ˈnʌmbər/ (US) (rhyming with “lumber”) is a mathematical object, such as 1, 65536, 3.1415; /ˈnʌmə/ (UK), /ˈnʌmər/ (US) (rhyming with “summer”) means “more numb” (numb is pronounced /nʌm/).

dove – a /dʌv/ is a bird related to pigeons; /dəʊv/ (UK), /doʊv/ (US) is a non-standard form of the past tense of the verb “to dive” used in some dialects (the standard one is “dived”).

drawer – /ˈdrɔː/ (UK) (the same as “draw”), /ˈdrɔːr/ (US) (rhymes with “more”) is a piece of furniture. Note that there are British dialects in which the “er” is pronounced as /ə/ and American dialects in which the word is pronounced as “draw”. /ˈdrɔːə/ (UK) (like “draw-uh”), /ˈdrɔːər/ (US) (like “draw-uhrr”) is a person who draws.

house – a /haʊs/ (rhymes with “mouse”) is a building; to /haʊz/ (rhyming with “cows”) means “to provide a place for somebody to live”.

use – to /juːz/ (rhyming with “fuze”) means “to utilize”; a /juːs/ (rhyming with “goose”) is a way in which something is used.

Ever chat to your friend about baking bread, and you’re both confused between needing some flour and kneading some flour because neither of you has provided further context? That’s an example of homonymy, words with different meanings but pronounced and/or spelt the same. The definition of homonymy is rather broad, as it covers both the pronunciation and the spelling. , which we will explain further with some examples and comparisons to other lexically ambiguous words!

• Do you have a rubber band?
• My band is performing tonight.

• We band every bird to track their movements.

Some other examples of homonymy are:

Address:

• Your essay fails to address the main issue. = give attention to a problem (verb)

Park:

• You can’t park your car here. = to leave a vehicle somewhere for some time (verb).
• Are you heading to the park now? = a public place with fields and trees (noun).

Tender:

• After the accident, he needs some tender loving care. = gentle (adjective).
• Your firm submitted the lowest tender. = a formal offer to supply goods or do work at a stated price (noun).

Skirt:

• Every night she rocks her baby to sleep. = to move backwards and forwards (verb).
• Yesterday’s storm forced the ship onto the rocks. = a mass of rock standing in the sea (noun).

Rose:

• Someone left you a rose. = a type of flower (noun).
• The price rose significantly last month. = to increase (verb — the past form of ‘rise’).

Types of homonymy

Homonymy can be further subdivided into more specific types that only concern either spelling or pronunciation. These are called homophones and homographs respectively.

Fig 3 — Homonyms can be further broken down into homophones and homographs.

• Sorry, I don’t eat meat. (noun)
• Let’s meet again tomorrow! (verb)

Sun-son

• The sun is hiding behind the clouds. (noun)
• My son is going to university next year. (noun)

Plain — plane

• I like your idea. It’s plain and simple. (adjective)
• The plane is having some problems at the moment. (noun)

Bow

Desert

A pun is a literary device that plays on words using two identical or similar sounding words with different and/or contradictory meanings. The first meaning is usually quite reasonable, while the secondary meaning is less sensitive.

For example:

Homonym wordplay is more effective in spoken communication than in writing because the humorous effects are more pronounced when the spelling is not defined. However, if the homonyms are cleverly constructed, they can produce some witty results.

• Waiter, will the pancakes be long? — No, sir, round
• What did the chess piece say before bed? — Knight knight
• What is ice cream’s favorite day of the week? — Sundae

• (2) bound = constrained; and,
• (3) bound = leap. Romeo still refuses Mercutio’s suggestion and here he replies, I’m too sore after being hit by the Cupid’s arrow to soar with his light feather. I’m being constrained by this love. I can’t leap.

Shakespeare uses the combination of main — Maine several times in this excerpt from Henry VI. These are homophones. Warwick repeats the word main as a transitional means (sound unit) to redefine Maine, the French county. Then, he adds meant (a variant of main — Maine) in between the last homophonic pair (3).

Reading the text may not cause ambiguity since you can read the words and know exactly what each word means. However, if you watch the play or only hear this wordplay, it may cause some confusion.

Example 3: Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (1865).

The words flour — flower are homophones because they’re pronounced the same but written differently. Of course, to make bread we need flour, not flower, but by playing with words in this way, Carroll provides some comical impressions of the characters.

The words ground — ground are homonyms because they’re pronounced and written the same but have different meanings. The first ground refers to ‘the surface of the earth’, while the second one means ‘an area of land’.

Polysemies:

My students often ask me the difference in pronunciation of words like son & sun, meet & meat, write & right, and which & which. And do you know what? Each of those pairs is pronounced exactly the same, even though they’re spelled differently. It’s important to not let your eyes fool you. English spelling can sometimes be unusual. While there are many rules to help you pronounce words based on their spelling, there are also exceptions to the rules. And those exceptions tend to occur in our most common words. Train your ears to tell you the pronunciation of words, not your eyes.

Prefer to see this as a video, rather than read it? Just click here: Homophones video.

Words that sound the same, but have different meanings and different spellings are called homophones. The prefix “homo” means same, and the root word “phone” means sound, so if you put them together in the word “homophone”, it means “same sound”. There are so many homophones in English, so I’ll give you a list of the ones I think you’re most likely to use. I’ve categorized them based on their vowel sounds. That way, if you’ve not yet mastered a particular vowel sound, you can watch one of my videos on how to pronounce that vowel. Click on the link to go to my American English Vowels playlist on Youtube: Vowels Videos.

Long Vowels:

Long A homophones: vowel pronounced like the alphabet letter A

• ate/eight
• brake/break
• male/mail
• sale/sail
• wait/weight
• way/weigh

Long E homophones: vowel pronounced like the alphabet letter E

• beet/beat
• genes/jeans
• meet/meat
• peace/piece
• see/sea
• sweet/suite
• week/weak

Long I homophones: vowel pronounced like the alphabet letter I

• buy/by/bye
• I/eye
• sight/site
• write/right

Long O homophones: vowel pronounced like the alphabet letter O

• close/clothes
• hole/whole
• no/know
• nose/knows
• so/sew
• toe/tow

Long OO homophones: vowel pronounced like the OO in “food”

• do/due/dew
• to/too/2
• chews/choose

Short Vowels:

Short A homophones: vowel pronounced like the A in “cat”

• ant/aunt

Short E homophones: vowel pronounced like the E in “bed”

• read*/red (*the past tense of read)
• weather/whether

Short I homophones: vowel pronounced like the I in “sit”
• which/witch

Short U homophones: vowel pronounced like the U in “fun”
• son/sun
• one/won

Short OO homophones: vowel pronounced like the OO in “book”
• would/wood

R Controlled Vowels:

“Ear” sound homophones: vowel sounds like “ear”

• deer/dear
• here/hear
• tear*/tier

*tear like in the tears you cry. There is another word with that same spelling with a different pronunciation: tear, which means to rip. This word rhymes with “hair”.)

“Air” sound homophones: vowel sounds like “air”

• fairy/ferry
• Mary/marry/merry
• there/their/they’re
• vary/very
• where/wear

“Or” sound homophones: vowel sounds like “or”

• for/4

“Hour” sound homophones: vowel sounds like “hour”

• hour/our

There are lots of English words that sound the same, but have different meanings and different spellings. Those were some of the more commonly used ones. Are there any homophones you use that are not listed here? Let me know in the comments. If there were any vowel sounds you were unfamiliar with in this article, take a look at my video on how to pronounce those sounds. Just scroll through the list of videos in this playlist until you find the ones you need: Vowels Videos.

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Solon Gibson

Score: 4.6/5
(24 votes)

Words that having similar sounds are called homonyms. Within the category of homonyms are two commonly confused concepts: homographs and homophones.

What are the sounding words?

Examples of these sound words include:

What are some badass words?

badass

What are 2 words that sound the same?

What Is a Homophone? As mentioned above, sets of words like “you’re” and “your” are called homophones. The root of that word, homo-, means “same,” and the root phone- means “sound.” Homophones are two words that sound the same, but have different meanings.

Can you give me a list of Homographs?

Homograph Examples

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