Homonyms and Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same but are
different in meaning or spelling. Homographs are spelled the same,
but differ in meaning or pronunciation. Homonyms and Homophones Homonyms can be either or
even both. To help remember, think of the etymology: homophones have the
same sound (the Greek phonos), homographs have the same spelling
(Greek graphein), and homonym comes from the Greek word meaning
"name" (onyma).
There are many aspects of the English language that might be
described as tricky, or even vexatious. Among these are the large number of
words that are spelled differently but which sound the same. Or all the words
which are spelled the same but don’t sound the same at all. Homonyms and Homophones Or the fact that
there is a single word which describes these two very different types of words.
Welcome to homophones, homographs, and homonyms.
Here is the simplest explanation we can give for each of
these words:
Homophones are words that sound the same but are
different.
Homographs are words that are spelled the same but are
different.
Homonyms can be homophones, homographs, or
both.
Here is a slightly less simple explanation for each of these
words:
Homophones are words pronounced alike but
different in meaning or derivation or spelling. Homonyms and Homophones These words may be spelled
differently from each other (such as to, too, and two), or they
may be spelled the same way (as in quail meaning ‘to cower’ and quail meaning
a type of bird).
Homographs are words that are spelled alike
but are different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation. Homonyms and Homophones Sometimes these
words sound different (as in the bow of a ship, and the bow that
shoots arrows), and sometimes these words sound the same (as in quail meaning
‘to cower’ and quail meaning a type of bird).
Homonym may be used to refer to either homophones or
to homographs. Some people feel that the use of homonym should
be restricted to words that are spelled alike but are different in
pronunciation and meaning, such as the bow of a ship
and the bow that shoots arrows.
If you would like to distinguish between these words but
have trouble remembering their differences, etymology can be of assistance. Homonyms and Homophones All
of these words are formed with the combining form homo-, meaning “one and
the same; similar; alike,” and each has an additional root that sheds light on
the word’s meaning. Homophone comes from the Greek -phōnos (meaning
“sounding”); homograph is from the Greek graphein (“to
write”); homonym is from the Greek onyma (meaning “name”).
These words are often tossed around by teachers and
linguists. What do they really mean? The prefix homo- comes from the
Greek word homós which meant “one and the same.” So all of these
words describe some types of sameness.
Homographs are words that are spelled alike, but have
different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations. Homonyms and Homophones The root graph comes
from the Greek word meaning “drawn or written,” thus these terms are written
the same. For example, stalk is both a plant stem and a verb meaning
to pursue stealthily. Homonyms and Homophones Homographs also have different etymologies.
Not all words that are spelled the same are pronounced
identically, so they may be homographs without being homophones,
e.g., lead as a metal and as the verb “to show the way.” Homonyms and Homophones Homophones
are words that are pronounced the same but are different in spelling and
meaning. In this case the combining from phone comes from the Greek
word phōnḗ meaning “voice.” One commonly confused trio of homophones
is to, two, and too.
Homonyms are words spelled or pronounced alike but
different in meaning. Homonyms and Homophones Since homonym is used to (ambiguously) describe either a
homograph or homophone, it can cause confusion, though it is often heard in
classrooms in early grades. Homonyms and Homophones The root -nym simply means “word” or
“name,” so it applies more broadly than its counterparts.