Homophones and Homonyms Difference

Homophones and homonyms are tricky as well as confusing words. The prefix ‘homo’ derives from the Greek word ‘homós’ which means ‘one and the same’. Hence, homophone and homonym words show some kind of similarity. A thorough knowledge of these words will save you from making grammatical mistakes. Let us understand the difference between the homophone and homonym words.


In English language, homophones refer to the words that are pronounced the same, but have different spelling and meaning. In short, homophones are those words that sound alike but differ in meaning and spelling. For instance, ‘Ad and Add’ or ‘Tail and Tale’. Generally, homophones come in a group of two, but these words are also identified in a group of three or four. Apart from this, most homophones are pronounced same and have similar spelling and different meaning. For example, ‘lead’ (as a metal) and (as a verb - to go in front).

List of Homophone Words:

•    Addition and Edition
•    Beat and Beet
•    Flower and Flour
•    Hole and Whole
•    Plane and Plain
•    Knight and Night
•    Root and Route
•    Sail and Sale
•    Site and Sight
•    Weak and Week 

Homonyms

Homonyms refer to a group of words that have the same pronunciation and same spelling, but different meaning. In short, the word that is pronounced and spelled alike, but have different meaning is known as a homonym. For example, ‘Band’ (a rubber band) and (a rock band) or ‘Fair’ (book fair) and (fair complexion). In addition to this, homonyms are also homographs (words that are spelled alike, but have different meaning and pronunciation) and homophones (words that are sound alike but have different spelling and meaning). According to the English language, the state of being a homonym is called homonymy.



List of Homonym Words:

•    Allowed and Aloud
•    Bare and Bear
•    Cereal and Serial
•    Die and Dye
•    Earn and Urn
•    Flea and Flee
•    Grate and Great
•    Hoarse and Horse
•    Rest and Wrest
•    Toe and Tow

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English Grammar