Homophones

What are Homophones? Homophones are two or more words that sound the same but differ in their meanings. The term “homophone” originates from the Greek words homo, meaning “same,” and phone, meaning “sound.” Here is an example of a homophone pair: He was very weak. She wanted to go home next week. Both these words—weak […]

What Are Homonyms? In English grammar, homonyms are words that have the same spelling and/or pronunciation but different meanings. The word “homonym” is derived from the Greek word “homōnymos,” which means “having the same name.” Difference Between Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs Words that have the same pronunciation but differ in spelling or meaning are called […]

Mark Twain famously said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”  Even a slightly misused word can lead to an unintended message (or is it massage?) and effect (affect?) for our audience. For example, a whole […]