Learn English: Homophone vs Homonym, Know the Difference and How to use Them in Sentences

Everyone wants to improve their English communication skills and to do the same people one has to improve their pronunciation as well. As we all know, English pronunciation can be difficult.

In today’s Learn English section you will learn all about homonyms and homophones in the English language. Homophones and homonyms are difficult when you are learning English grammar and vocabulary, but when once you understand them the English language becomes much easier to use.

Homonyms

In linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings. This usually happens as a result of the two words having different origins. The word ‘homonym’ comes from the Greek word ‘homonymos’ which means ‘having the same name’. The prefix ‘homo’ means the same, and the suffix ‘nym’ means name. Therefore, homonyms are two words that look and/or sound exactly alike.

Examples:

1. Kind- A type of something / Caring

2. Right- Correct / Opposite of left

3. Well- It went positively / A structure made to access water underground

Read | Learn English: Course or Coarse? Know Different Usage & Meaning of Similar Sounding Words

Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The Greek prefix ‘homo’ means same and the root ‘phone’ means sound. Homophones can be sets of two, three, or even more words that sound alike. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of “rise”), or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too.

All homonyms are homophones because they sound the same. However, not all homophones are homonyms. Homophones with different spellings are not homonyms.

Examples:

1. Knew and New- She knew that she needed to soon replace her old car with a new one.

2. Hour and our- The hour had come that we had to accept the consequences of our actions.

3. Male and Mail- Is the mail delivery person a male or female?

Read all the Latest Education News here