homograph
See also: Homograph
English edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhɒməɡɹɑːf/, /ˈhəʊməɡɹæf/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈhɑːməɡɹæf/, /ˈhoʊməɡɹæf/
,Audio (US) (file) Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file)
Noun edit
Examples |
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homograph (plural homographs)
- A word that is spelled the same as another word, usually having a different etymology.
- (computing) A text character or string that looks identical to another when rendered.
- Hyponym: homoglyph
Usage notes edit
Homographs are a kind of homonym in the loose sense of that term, i.e. a word that is either a homophone (same sound) or a homograph (same spelling). (The strict sense of homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.) Specifically, homographs must have the same spelling, though they usually have different meanings and may be pronounced differently.
- The verb bear (“to carry”) and the noun bear (“large omnivorous mammal”) are homographs with the same pronunciation and different etymological origins.
- The verb alternate (“to go back and forth”) and the adjective alternate (“following by turns”) are homographs with different pronunciations but close etymological origins. Such homographs are also heteronyms.
- The verb meet (“to encounter”) and the noun meat (“food”) are not homographs since they have different spellings.
Related terms edit
Translations edit
word with the same spelling but different meaning
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See also edit
Noun (cat) | Sound | Spelling | Meaning | phone/graph |
---|---|---|---|---|
homonym | same | same | different | homophone & homograph |
heteronym (cat) | different | same | different | heterophone & homograph |
homophone | same | different | different | homophone (cat) & heterograph |
alternative pronunciation | different | same | same | heterophone & homograph |
synonym | different | different | same | heterophone & heterograph |
alternative spelling | same | different | same | homophone & heterograph |
identical | same | same | same | homophone & homograph |
distinct | different | different | different | heterophone & heterograph |