heteronym

American  

[het-er-uh-nim] / ˈhɛt ər ə nɪm /

noun

1. a word spelled the same as another but having a different sound and meaning, as lead (to conduct) and lead (a metal).

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heteronym British  

/ ˈhɛtərəʊˌnɪm, ˌhɛtəˈrɒnɪməs /

noun

1. one of two or more words pronounced differently but spelt alike Compare homograph

   the two English words spelt ``bow'' are heteronyms

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Other Word Forms

• heteronymous adjective
• heteronymously adverb

Etymology

Origin of heteronym

From the Late Greek word heterṓnymos, dating back to 1880–85. See hetero-, -onym

Example Sentences

Pessoa was best known for adopting multiple authorial identities and then writing in the differing styles of these “heteronyms.”

From Washington Post

“Countless lives inhabit us,” his heteronym Ricardo Reis proclaims atop the poem “I’m Missing,” a paean to multivalence: “I’m more than one. / It’s too fun for me.”

From New York Times

This was particularly true of a writer like Pessoa, who actively played with various identities, sometimes allowing his heteronyms to correspond and criticize each other.

From Los Angeles Times

He was a whole galaxy of writers — heteronyms, as he called them, with entirely different personalities and different, often radically conflicting, views on poetry, style, nature, politics and the antique.

From New York Times

In total, Pessoa created dozens of heteronyms, most complete with biographies, bodies of work, reviews and correspondence.

From New York Times