˜yĞÄvlog

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homophonous

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

adjective

  1. identical in pronunciation.


homophonous

/ ³óɒˈ³¾É’´ÚÉ™²ÔÉ™²õ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or denoting a homophone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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˜yĞÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of homophonous1

1745–55; < Greek ³ó´Ç³¾Ã³±è³óŲԴDzõ of the same sound; homo-, phon-, -ous
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But she was hoisted by her own homophonous petard.

From

Netizens have replaced "quan", which means "rights", with a homophonous character meaning "fist", making it a somewhat derogatory term for feminists.

From

Or that, at the age of thirty-eight, I still avoid using the common noun that is homophonous with my abuser’s name.

From

Reid’s play on words — Charles and David KochÌıshare a homophonous name with a recreational drug — came less than a weekÌıafter Reid called the brothers “un-American†for funding anti-Obamacare attack ads.

From

It delighted him that her name was homophonous with that of a singing bird: the loriot, or golden oriole, which duly has its place in “Catalogue d’Oiseaux.â€

From

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More About Homophonous

What doesÌıhomophonous 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 ³Ù³ó±ğ²â’r±ğ spelled the same or not. There, their, and ³Ù³ó±ğ²â’r±ğ 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 doesÌıhomophonous 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 ³Ù³ó±ğ²â’r±ğ 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?

What are some synonyms for homophonous?

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

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

How isÌıhomophonous used in real life?

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

Ìı

Ìı

Try usingÌıhomophonous!

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

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