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homophone

homophone

1 8.2
Two words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊməˌfoʊn/
translation icon : homófono
  • That's a homophone.

But even more common is puns based on sound, because Chinese is so full of homophones.

Examples

  • I was referring to your first comment at #33 where you used two homophones in one paragraph.

    Blog text (11)
  • A homophone is a phrase that sounds the same, but has two different meanings.

  • The trick is to notice that this is a homophone: XAND sounds like croissant.

    Blog text (12)
  • However, they see illusions, hear homophones, and read anagrams.

    Blog text (12)
  • For example, when listeners must infer the appropriate meaning of a homophone in a sentence, they have to determine which of the two or more meanings is more relevant to the context (e.g., river bank vs. savings bank).

    Academic text (2013)
  • In the sentence, "I need to buy some new clothes in case the weather is fine, so I will wear the right homophone for the two words, 'bare' and 'bear' to avoid confusion," the meaning is clear about words that sound the same but have different meanings.

  • In English, words like 'flower' and 'flour' are examples of homophones, as they sound identical but have different meanings.

  • Understanding homophones is essential for mastering English, as it helps avoid confusion in writing and speaking.

Synonyms

homonym
vshomophone
3 7.6

A word with the same spelling or sound as another word but a different meaning

is limited to words that share pronunciation rather than spelling or origin

Surface Forms

homophone singular
homophones plural

Morphology

homophone = phone (semi-transparent) = homo + phone

The prefix 'homo-' means 'same', and 'phone' relates to sound, but the specific meaning of words with the same pronunciation isn't immediately clear.

Etymology

Homophone comes from Greek parts homo- ('same') and -phone ('sound' or 'voice'), so it means 'same sound'. Think of telephone, which also has -phone, to remember that homophones are different words that 'sound' the same.