Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. Homophones may have different spellings, and they occur in many languages, though they are especially prominent in English due to irregular spelling.

Etymology: from Greek homo- meaning "same" and phone meaning "sound."

Common English examples include to, too, and two; know and no; sea and see; sun and son; fair and fare; knight and night. These pairs rely on identical pronunciation while their spellings and meanings differ.

Related terms and distinctions: A homograph is a word that is spelled the same as another word but may have a different meaning and pronunciation. A heteronym is a type of homograph whose words have different pronunciations. Some linguists use "homonym" as a broader term for words that are either homographs or homophones. Near-homophones, or near rhymes, are words that sound alike but not exactly the same, depending on dialect.

Usage: Linguists study homophones to understand sound systems; in teaching, they are a common source of spelling difficulties for learners. Dictionaries often indicate pronunciations with phonetic transcriptions to help distinguish homophones. Puns and wordplay frequently rely on homophony to create humor or ambiguity.