
Heterographic examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re. Homographic examples include rose (flower) and rose (past tense of rise). 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"). Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.If they are pronounced differently then they are also heteronyms – for example, bow (the front of a ship) and bow (a ranged weapon).
Word with same pronunciation but different spelling skin#
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).

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).Ī 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).


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).Ī more restrictive and technical definition requires that homonyms be simultaneously homographs and homophones – that is to say they have identical spelling and pronunciation, but with different meanings. 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. Homonyms are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Words spelled or pronounced the same with different meanings
