homograph

American  

[hom-uh-graf, -grahf, hoh-muh-] / ˈhɒm əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf, ˈhoʊ mə- /

noun

1. a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear 1 “to carry; support” and bear 2 “animal” or lead 1 “to conduct” and lead 2 “metal.”

---

homograph British  

/ ˈhɒməˌɡræf, -ˌɡrɑːf /

noun

1. one of a group of words spelt in the same way but having different meanings Compare heteronym

---

Usage

What is a homograph? Homographs are words that have the same spelling but different meanings, whether they’re pronounced the same or not. Bass (the fish, rhymes with class) and bass (the instrument, rhymes with ace) are homographs. But so are bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (the covering of a tree).These two senses of bark can also be considered homophones. You can learn more about the difference in the next section.There are many homographs in English, including many commonly used words, which can make things confusing, even for native speakers.

Related Words

See homonym.

Other Word Forms

• homographic adjective

Etymology

Origin of homograph

First recorded in 1800–10; homo- + -graph

Example Sentences

Some disagreement exists among scholars as to whether pronunciation must be different for a word to be considered a homograph.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

She's German but the homograph was entirely deliberate.

From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2010