HOMONYMS and HOMOPHONES
Homonyms are words that sound alike, have the same spelling, but different meaning.
Example:
fair (reasonable) The judge was very fair when he made the decision.
fair (county fair) We loved going to a county fair when we were kids.
Homophones are a type of homonym. Homophones are words that sound alike, have different meaning and different spelling.
Example:
pear (fruit) I used to eat a pear every day.
pair (couple) I need to buy a new pair of shoes.
HOMOGRAPHS and HETERONYMS
Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but have different meaning.
Example:
bow ˈbau̇ ( to bend at the waist) He need to bow before the Queen.
bow ˈbō (shoots arrows) He used his bow to shoot all the soldiers.
A homograph that is also pronounced differently is a heteronym. We can say that bow is also a heteronym.
One more time:
Heteronyms are a type of homograph. Heteronyms are words that are spelled the same, but have different pronunciation.
So, what is the difference between homographs and heteronyms?
All heteronyms are homographs, but not all homographs are heteronyms.
Then, what is the difference between homograph and homonym?
Well, homographs that are spelled the same, and have the same pronunciation are automatically called homonyms.
Still confused?
Let’s try to remember it the simple way:
Homonyms: spelled the same – sound the same (can – can)
Homophones: same sound – different spelling (week – weak)
Homographs: spelled the same – different sound (wind – wind)
