Homophones

Understanding the Difference: Homophone vs. Homonym vs. Homograph

• English has words that sound or look the same but have different meanings.
• Homophones, homographs, and homonyms are words for these types of words.
• Homophone, homonym, and homograph all start with "homo-" which means "same."
• The "-phone" in homophone means "sound," so homophones are words that sound the same.
• Homophones always have different meanings, but they may be spelled the same or differently.
• Homographs are words that are spelled the same but may have different meanings and pronunciations.
• Homonyms are a broader category that includes both homophones and homographs.
• Homonyms are words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings.
• Examples of homophones include "bear" (the animal) and "bare" (meaning "uncovered").
• Examples of homographs include "read" (past tense of "read") and "read" (present tense of "read").
• Understanding the endings of homophone, homograph, and homonym can help remember their meanings.
• Remembering the distinctions between homophone, homograph, and homonym can be challenging.