#heteronyms

English can be a confusing language, in part because it developed as a mixture of many different language families. Numerous foreign powers invaded the British Isles over the centuries, and each left behind traces of their language. This cultural blending resulted not only in English having many different words for the same thing (especially legal terms, thanks to medieval laws being written in both Norman French and Anglo-Saxon), but also left a legacy of words that look or sound alike, but actually have very different meanings.

English even has a variety of words to describe these types of confusing words! Here is how various kinds of similar words are categorized. (Note that some words can fit into multiple categories!)

homonyms - words that are pronounced the same way, but have different meanings

address (to speak to) and address (a street number)

bear (to carry) and bear (a large mammal)

ring (a hollow circular object) and ring (the sound a bell makes)

homophones - a type of homonym in which the words are pronounced the same way, but are not spelled the same

week (a period of seven days) and weak (lacking strength)

be (to exist) and bee (a pollenating insect)

air (atmospheric gas) and heir (someone who will inherit)

homographs - words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings (These often overlap with homonyms!) 

duck (a waterfowl) and duck (to crouch down)

gorge (a ravine) and gorge (to eat a lot)

fair (a festival) and fair (showing equality) and fair (pretty)

heteronyms - a type of homograph in which the words are spelled the same and have different meanings, but are pronounced differently (These can also be called heterophones, though it is less common.)

bow (a tool used in archery) and bow (bending to show respect)

close (near) and close (to shut something)

lead (a soft metal) and lead (to show the way)

Mnemonics (ways to remember these terms):

If you think about what each prefix (the first part of the word) and suffix (the last part of the word) refer to on their own, it’s easy to remember what each of these words means:

The prefix homo- refers to things that are the same.

homogeneous (of the same type)

homosexual (same-sex)

homogenize (to make uniform)

The prefix hetero- refers to things that are different.

heterogeneous (of different types)

heterosexual (different sexes)

heterochromia (having two different eye colors)

The suffix -phone refers to sound. In this case, it refers to the way a word sounds when spoken aloud, or how it is pronounced.

telephone (a device for speaking over long distances)

headphones (a device that produces sound)

phonograph (an early type of audio recording -- literally, “sound-written”)

The suffix -graph refers to writing or drawing. In this case, it refers to the way a word is written down, or how it is spelled.

graph (a visual diagram)

seismograph (an instrument that records earthquake activity by tracing vibrations onto paper)

phonograph (an early type of audio recording -- literally, “sound-written”)

The suffix -nym means name. In this case, it refers to the way the words are spoken aloud. Think of calling someone by name.

pseudonym (a false name)

anonymous (without a name)

patronym (named for one’s father)