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Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs & Heteronyms
Judy Vorfeld

HOMONYM: One of two or more words having the same sound and often the same spelling but different meanings. Examples: quail (cower), and quail (bird) fair (appearance), fair (county fair), and fair (reasonable).

 

HOMOPHONE: One of two or more words pronounced the same but different in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling. Examples: cite, sight, and site; sea and see; your and you're; bow and bough.

HOMOGRAPH: One of two or more words spelled alike but different in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation. Examples: bow of a ship, a bow and arrow, and a bow (deference/manners).

HETERONYM: One of two or more words that are spelled the same but that differ in pronunciation and meaning. Examples: bass (voice) and bass (fish); polish (shine) and Polish (from Poland); tear (rip) and tear (from eye).

Some excellent sites:

English Homophones
Homographs
The Heteronym Homepage
Shades of Meaning
One-trick Words
Alan Cooper's Homonyms
Self-study Homonym Quizzes
Homonym Game
Professor Darling's Notorious Confusables

Confusing Word Pairs

accede: stick to agreement
exceed: surpass
accept: receive
except: exclude
adapt: adjust
adept: proficient
adverse: opposed
averse: not interested
affect: change, influence
effect: (v) to bring about (n) result, impression
all right: all right
alright: outdated usage
allude: refer to indirectly
elude: avoid
altar: place of worship
alter: to change
appraise: value
apprise: inform, notify
capital:seat of government; money
capitol: building where legislative body meets
complement:something that completes (noun); to complete (verb).
compliment: a flattering remark (noun); to praise (verb)
continual: happens frequently in time: close succession
continuous: uninterrupted
emigration: moving from a country
immigration: moving to a country
eminent: outstanding, revered
imminent: threatening to happen soon
everyday: The everyday (ordinary) routine of working
every day: Call me every day (each day) this week.
farther: refers to actual distance
further: refers to figurative distance
imply: speaker implies (suggests)
infer: hearer infers (perceives)
floe: large sheet of floating ice
flow: move, run freely, circulate
lay: to set down, to place or put an item down
lie: to recline
pray: to ask for by prayer or supplication
prey: animal hunted or caught for food; victim
principal: first in authority; main participant; amount of a debt less interest
principle: basic truth or assumption
raise: to cause to lift or to lift something
rise: to ascend, move upward, or get up
real: adjective (real sugar)
really: adverb (really wishing for...)
set: to place something somewhere
sit: to be in a position of rest or to be seated
stationary: not moving: fixed
stationery: writing material: letterhead, envelopes, etc.
suit: a set of clothes; legal action
suite: number of items making up a set, series, or sequence
waiver: the giving up of a claim
waver: to hesitate; also tremble or quaver

Confusing Word Triplets

ensure: to make sure or certain; guarantee; to protect insure: to take out or issue insurance; to pay or be paid money in the case of loss assure: convince, make sure of something, to give confidence; to declare or promise confidently
to: in the direction of; toward too: in addition; as well, also two: more than one; less than three
their: belonging to; possessive of "they" there: at, or in that place they're: combination of "they are"




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