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A [[homophone]] is a word that sounds exactly like another.  'Meat', referring to animal food, sounds exactly like 'meet', meaning 'come together'.  
A [[homophone]] is a word that sounds exactly like another.  'Meat', referring to flesh, sounds exactly like 'meet', meaning 'come together'.  


Some homophones are also '''homonyms''': the [[modal verb]] 'will' sounds and also looks exactly like 'will' as in 'last will and testament', and there is a third 'will', as in 'having a strong will'.  (Words with the same spelling  are called '''homographs'''; they may be homonyms, or they may have different pronunciations, as with the verb 'to tear', meaning 'to rip', and 'tear', as in 'tearful'.)
When homophones have the same spelling, they are also [[homonyms]]: the [[modal verb]] 'will' as in 'will they ever come?' sounds and also looks exactly like the [[noun]] 'will' as in 'having a strong will' or 'last will and testament'.   
 
Words with the same spelling  are called [[homographs]], but they are not all homophones: some have different pronunciations, and are [[heteronyms]], as for example the verb 'to tear', meaning 'to rip', and 'tear', as in 'tearful'.<ref>In the notation used at [[English spellings]], '''téar''' ''rip'' and '''têar''' ''cry'' (cf. '''tén''' and '''têen''')</ref> Thus homonyms are homophonic homographs.
 
==Some examples in English==
 
*C's/seas/sees/seise/seize
 
Some words sound the same in some forms of speech but not others. For example:
 
In most American speech:
 
*balm/bomb
 
In the speech of many Americans:
 
*rider/writer
 
In most of England:
 
*awe/oar/or (emphatic pronunciation)/ore
*pause/paws/pores/pours
 
In various parts of England:
 
*fin/thin/thing
*hill/ill
*paw/poor/pore/pour
*put/putt
*Shaw/shore/sure
*tong/tongue
 
==References==
{{reflist}}[[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]]

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A homophone is a word that sounds exactly like another. 'Meat', referring to flesh, sounds exactly like 'meet', meaning 'come together'.

When homophones have the same spelling, they are also homonyms: the modal verb 'will' as in 'will they ever come?' sounds and also looks exactly like the noun 'will' as in 'having a strong will' or 'last will and testament'.

Words with the same spelling are called homographs, but they are not all homophones: some have different pronunciations, and are heteronyms, as for example the verb 'to tear', meaning 'to rip', and 'tear', as in 'tearful'.[1] Thus homonyms are homophonic homographs.

Some examples in English

  • C's/seas/sees/seise/seize

Some words sound the same in some forms of speech but not others. For example:

In most American speech:

  • balm/bomb

In the speech of many Americans:

  • rider/writer

In most of England:

  • awe/oar/or (emphatic pronunciation)/ore
  • pause/paws/pores/pours

In various parts of England:

  • fin/thin/thing
  • hill/ill
  • paw/poor/pore/pour
  • put/putt
  • Shaw/shore/sure
  • tong/tongue

References

  1. In the notation used at English spellings, téar rip and têar cry (cf. tén and têen)