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Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs

Homonyms, homophones and homographs can bring confusion to even adults and teachers! For clarity, we've brought them all together on one page.


SpellingCity spelling lists will help you learn your homophones and have fun all at the same time! We have made it easy for you to learn the difference among homographs, homophones, and homonyms using our definitions and examples below. At SpellingCity, we help you master homophones to show off your skills!

 Homonyms

 Homophones
Homographs 
Same spelling,
same pronunciation,
multiple meanings 		Words that sound alike Same spelling,
different pronunciation,
different meanings
 the spruce tree...
 to spruce up...		  addition for math
 edition of a book		  desert = abandon
 desert = area of land
 suit yourself...
 wore a suit...		  I want to go
 I like it too
 One plus one is two		  bass = fish
 bass = instrument
 weigh on the scale...
 scale the wall...		  capitol building
 state capital		  close = nearby
 close = to shut
 the price is fair...
 go to the fair...		  pick a flower
 bake with flour		  bow = to bend down
 bow = ribbon
 
Homonyms are words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings.  For example, bear. 

A bear (the animal) can bear (tolerate) very cold temperatures.
The driver turned left (opposite of right) and left (departed from) the main road. 

Homophones, also known as sound-alike words, are words that are pronounced identically although they have different spellings and meanings.  These words are a very common source of confusion when writing.  Common examples of sets of homophones include: to, too, and two; they're and their; bee and be; sun and son; which and witch; and plain and plane.  SpellingCity is a particularly useful tool for learning to correctly spell the soundalike words.

Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings and different pronunciations. Some examples of homographs are:

bass as in fish vs bass as in music,
bow as in arrow vs bow as in bending or taking a bow at the end of a performance,
close as in next to vs close as in shut the door,
desert as in dry climate vs desert as in leaving alone.

Currently, SpellingCity cannot distinguish between homographs, as we are unable to have two pronounciations for the exact same word. We are looking for possibilities in the future.

Heteronyms or heterophones: Same Spelling, Different Pronunciations, Different Meanings.

Wind: I need to wind the alarm clock so I can fly my kite on in the early morning gusty wind.

Record: Please record the program when they try to beat the world record for word nerdiness.

Excuse: Please excuse this poor excuse for art.

Capitonyms: These are different words spelt the same except for the capitalization. Sometimes they are pronounced the same, sometimes they are not.

Turkey: I like to visit the country of Turkey and eat that American bird, turkey.

Mobile: My mobile phone ironically did not work in Mobile, Alabama.

May: In May, when spring is almost over, I may pack away my winter clothes.

March: On the Ides of March, we will march in the parade.

Polish. The Polish refugee said nothing but went straight to work putting polish on the silver.

 
 
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