The English Language is known for its diversity and complexity. Many English words are spelled the same but have different meanings. Some of such terms are homonyms (words that have the same sound and spelling but differ in meaning). Others are homographs (words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning, origin, and pronunciation). Wondering
what such words are? This article provides a list of common homonyms and homographs and how to differentiate them. The English language can be tricky, no doubt. Several English words (homonyms or homographs) have the exact spelling but different meanings. Words that fall under these categories often confuse readers and writers alike. Understanding the meaning of these
grammatical terms and recognizing them can help clarify any confusion. Let’s look at the popular homonyms and homographs in the English Language. Homonyms are words that are spelled the same, have the same sounds but different meanings and use context. This can be confusing when determining which word someone is trying to say, but having a full grasp of the entire sentence can help. Some homonyms have more than two
meanings; we’ll look at the popular homonyms in English and their most familiar meanings. Homographs are words with the same spellings, but different meanings and pronunciation.
One might wonder how it is possible that two words spelled the same can have different pronunciations. Common reason for this is that English is a stress-based language. A word’s meaning can drastically change due to the stressed syllable in it. A typical example of a homograph is MINUTE. This word has two different meanings and pronunciations. The first is pronounced as MIN-ute; defined as “a unit of time equal to sixty seconds,” or “a written record of a meeting.” The other is pronounced
mi-NUTE and means “very small, very careful and exact, giving small details.” Usually, homographs have different grammatical functions. While one could be a verb, the other could be a noun or adjective. Stress patterns in the English language have some predictable rules. For example, in disyllabic words that are nouns and adjectives, the stressed syllable is usually the first. Words like TA-ble and PIC-ture are examples. On the other hand, disyllabic words that are verbs
usually have their second syllable stressed. Examples are ob-JECt and se-COND. However, this doesn’t apply to every stressed word in English; there are exceptions. One such exception is with the term ‘minute.’ MIN-ute is a noun while mi-NUTE with the stress on the second syllable is an adjective. Let’s look at other popular homographs in English to understand this grammatical term better. Several words in English are spelled the same. While homonyms are spelled the same but differ only in meaning, homographs have the exact
spelling but differ in pronunciation and definition. Words that are spelled the same
Homonyms
1. Address
2. Arm
3. Well
4. Tire
5. Lie
6. Bat
Homographs
1. Project
2. Second
3. Object
4. Refuse
To Wrap Up
Words that are spelled the same can be confusing to readers and writers. However, understanding the meaning of such words and recognizing them can help clear any confusion.
Frequently asked questions
What are 2 words that sound the same?
Homonyms are words that sound similar or are spelled alike but have different meanings. Homonyms are words that sound like other words and are spelled the same as one another. Think of the word “lie” which can mean “not true” or “horizontal or resting position.” They are written and pronounced similar.
What are 10 examples of homonyms?
- Scents – Sense:
- Site – Sight:
- Chile – Chili:
- Cache – Cash:
- Facts- Fax:
- Finnish – Finish:
- Choir – Quire:
What are the 100 examples of homonyms?
Band | |
The band of musicians is lazy. | He wears a small band on his head. |
Book |
What words have 2 meanings?
Words with multiple meanings, or synonyms, have the same spelling and usually sound similar, but have different meanings (e.g. (Dog bark, tree bark).
What are the 20 examples of homonyms?
real – factual | reel – roll |
right – correct; not left | write – scribble |
ring – encircle | wring – squeeze |
road – street | rode – past tense of ride |
What are the 100 examples of homophones?
- 4.addition — edition. 5.all ready — already. 6.ax — acts.
- 7.axel — axle. 8.axes — axis. 9.aye — eye — I.
- 11.bawl — ball. 12.been — bin. 13.beer — bier.
- 1.abel — able. 2.accede — exceed. 3.accept — except.
- 24.cheep — cheap. 25.chews — choose. 26.chic — sheik.
What are the 50 examples of Homographs?
- Fine – good quality OR a levy.
- Bass: Fish with a lower, deep vocal style.
- Entry – the way into OR to delight.
- After sunset, I smooth up evenings.
- A agape – the mouth with the mouth open OR love.
- The knot to incline is the type of knot used in bowing.
- a lower place OR soft fluff on a bird.
- A bat is an object of sport or an animal.
Can you give me a list of homophones?
sole | soul |
some | sum |
son | sun |
stair | stare |
What are the 50 examples of homophones?
- Aunt (noun) or Aren’t (contraction) -.
- – – Ate (verb) or Eight(noun).
- (noun) or Sell (verb) – Cell (nounoun).
- Bored (adjective) is if the verb is “bored.”.
- Heir (noun) =. Air (nounoun).
- Brake (noun, verb) or Break (nounce, verb).
- Buy (verb) or By (preposition) or Before (exclamation) –.
What are the 2 types of homonyms?
- Homophones sound the same, but they are often spelled differently.
- Homographs may have the same spelling, but they may not sound identical.
What are homonyms give 5 examples?
band | a musical group | a ring |
bark | a tree’s out layer | the sound a dog makes |
bat | an implement used to hit a ball | a nocturnal flying mammal |
bright | very smart or intelligent | filled with light |
Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.
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