Homonym can be troublesome because it may refer to three distinct classes of words. Homonyms may be words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings, such as to, too, and two.

Mar 12, 2019 · The description of a homonym covers that of both a homograph and a homophone. For example, ‘bear’, ‘tear’ and ‘lead’ are all homographs, but they also satisfy the criteria of a homonym.

The word homonym comes from the Greek ὁμώνυμος (homonymos), meaning "having the same name," [6] compounded from ὁμός (homos) "common, same, similar" [7] and ὄνομα (onoma) "name."

Homonyms in English can be confusing at first—they’re words that look or sound the same but have different meanings. You’ve probably seen them before without even realizing it. In this article, we’ll …

When homonyms have the same sound, they are called "homophones." When they have the same spelling, they are called "homographs." (Homographs with different sounds (e.g., " tear drop" and "to …

A homonym can be a homophone (same sound) or a homograph (same spelling). Think like homonym as the “parent category,” while homophone and homograph are its “children.”

HOMONYM definition: 1. a word that sounds the same or is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning…. Learn more.

Homonym traces back to the Greek words homos, meaning “same,” and onuma, meaning “name.” So a homonym is sort of like two people who have the same name: called the same thing but different.

Nov 25, 2025 · Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings. They can be confusing for learners of English, but they are an important part of the …

A homonym is a word that shares the same spelling and pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning and origin. Think of it like two distinct words wearing the same disguise!