homograph v. homophone v. homonym v. heteronym v. heterograph

These terms all refer to sets of two or more words with different meanings (and usually origins) that share the same spelling, pronunciation, or both.

Homographs are words with the same spelling, but sometimes different pronunciations.

• bass (fish; instrument)
• lead (metal; go first)
• primer (textbook; undercoat of paint)
• sewer (waste water pipe; one who sews)
• tear (drop of salty water; to pull apart)

Homophones are words with the same pronunciation, but sometimes different spellings.

• cereal, serial
• hole, whole
• muscle, mussel
• pair, pare, pear
• to, too, two

Homonyms can be homographs, homophones, or both.

• date (calendar time; fruit)
• fluke (whale’s tail fin; stroke of luck; flatworm)
• junk (garbage; Chinese ship)
• mullet (fish; hairstyle)
• tender (delicate; one who tends)

Heteronyms are homographs that aren’t homophones (same spelling, different pronunciation).

Heterographs are homophones that aren’t homographs (same pronunciation, different spelling).

 Venn diagram illustrating the relationships between these terms.

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