homophonous

[ huh-mof-uh-nuhs, hoh- ]

adjective

1. identical in pronunciation.

homophonous

/ hɒˈmɒfənəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting a homophone

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophonous¹

1745–55; < Greek homóphōnos of the same sound; homo-, phon-, -ous

Example Sentences

Zoom tended to dominate remote learning and work over the past 18 months, but for many schools in California, the homophonous “Zum” seems set to be the driving force for the post-pandemic school year.

From Ozy

Homophonous: words differently written but indistinguishable in sound, applied to different conceptions.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Homophonous

What does homophonous mean?

Homophonous is used to describe words that are pronounced exactly the same.

If two words are described as homophonous, it means they are homophones—words that sound the same but have different meanings, whether they’re spelled the same or not. There, their, and they’re are homophonous. So are bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (the covering of a tree).

As long as two (or more) words have the same pronunciation, they are homophonous.

Example: Many English words are homophonous, which can make things confusing, even for native speakers.

Where does homophonous come from?

The first records of the word homophonous come from around 1750. It is a combination of homo–, meaning “same,” -phone, meaning “sound,” and -ous, which is used to form adjectives.

Similarly, two words that are synonyms can be described as synonymous. The word homonymous can describe words that are homonyms—words that have different meanings but are pronounced the same or spelled the same or both. The word homonym can be used as a synonym for both homophone and homograph. It can also be used to refer to words that are both homophones and homographs.

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). This means the two senses of bark could be considered homophones, homographs, or homonyms, and could be described as homophonous, homographic, or homonymous.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to homophonous?

• homophone (noun)

What are some synonyms for homophonous?

• homonymous

What are some words that share a root or word element with homophonous? 

• homophonic

What are some words that often get used in discussing homophonous?

• pronunciation
• sound
• spelling
• meaning
• homonym
• homograph

How is homophonous used in real life?

It is much more common to say two words are homophones than to describe them as homophonous.

not in real life, no. but hour and our are homophonous irl. and yes, but idk canadian/oz/sa/nz/indian spelling conventions. heck, i barely know british ones! HECK i barely know american ones…

— Lauren ''It's October!'' Ackerman (@VerbingNouns) May 28, 2018

Four words that are homophonous in my Western Australian English dialect: dual, duel, jewel, joule. I heart English.

— Ol’ Mate Clarko (@Clarko) October 22, 2007

It is unquestionably to the detriment of NASCAR that in many Southern variants of American English "tire" and "tar" are homophonous.

— Chuck Smith (@chucklessmith) October 4, 2009

 

 

Try using homophonous!

Which of the following word pairs are homophonous?

1. creek and creak
2. toe and tow
3. threw and through
4. all of the above