Content Design - English Words Can be Difficult

It can become confusing because there is an overlap in the definitions.

Homonyms

Homonyms are words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings or can be words with identical pronunciations and identical spellings but different meanings.

Examples:

Write/Right

The boy wrote a mathematical theorem.

The boy exited stage right.

Pitcher

The waitress poured water from a pitcher.

The baseball pitcher won the game with a strikeout.

Homophones

Homophones are a type of homonym that sound alkie and have different meanings with different spellings.

Examples:

To/Too/Two

He went to the store.

His mother went too.

There were two people in the store.

Toe/Tow

The man hit the toe on his right foot with a hammer.

Pray/Prey

You need to pray you do not become prey to the tiger.

Homographs

Homographs are spelled the same but have different sounds and meanings.

Examples:

Lead (to go in front of, a verb)/Lead (a metal, a noun)

The verb, lead, is pronounced /Leed/, with a long e similar to the word, recede. The noun referring to the metal, however, is pronounced /Led/, with a short e similar to the word, Ted.

Wind (turn as in a watch spring, a verb)/Wind (a gust of air, a noun)

The verb, wind, is pronounced with a long i, similar to the word, find. The noun, wind, is pronounced with a short i similar to the word, pinned.

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

The word for a low, deep sound is pronounced with a long a similar to the word, base. The word for type of fish is pronounced with a short a similar to the word, at.