Linguistics & Word Confusions: Homonym

Posted January 4, 2016 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Grammar Explanations, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
7 Mar 2023

A homonym is a type of linguistic word play with its own subsets (see Table 1 below). The two primary subsets are homographs (with the heteronym a subset of the homograph) and homophones (with its subset, heterographs).

If you break homonym apart:

Homo- means same

-onym means word, name

This means a homonym is spelled the same and sounds the same. It may also comprise one or more words (one word is the most common). Some of the Word Confusions about which I post are homonyms.

Why Writers Should Understand Word Play

I thought Sensei Michael put it very well in his post, “Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs”, <http://www.senseimichael.com/2013/04/17/homonyms-homophones-and-homographs/>: that “understanding these various forms of wordplay are important in composing and appreciating poetry, puns and jokes. A child with such an understanding would be on his way towards stronger literacy and mastery of the English language”. I do know that I’d prefer to have my attention caught by humor or emotion than by a word in the wrong context.

Click here for a quick look at the differences between them -nyms, -graphs, -phones, and -semys.

Table 1. Quick Re-cap of Linguistic Word Play
Spelling Sounds Meaning Example
Homonym
same same different bark (tree)

bark (dog)

Homograph
same same
OR
different
different present (gift)

present (introduce)

Heteronym **
same different different row (argument)

row (of seats)

Paronym **
different different derivative childish from child

preface from prefatio

affect vs effect

Capitonym
same, except

1. Proper Noun
2. common noun

same
or
different
different

1. March (third month of the year)

2. march (high stepping)

Monosemy *
ONE word same only ONE meaning aunt
Polysemy *
same same
or
different
shares a common root mouth (hole in your face)

mouth (cave opening)

Homophone
same
or
different
same different rose (flower)

rose (past tense of rise)


fair

fare

Heterograph
different same different copy right (copy correctly)

copyright (patent)

copywrite (write copy)

* Monosemy is the opposite of polysemy.

** Paronym is the opposite of heteronym.

Linguistics and Word Confusions sometimes . . .

. . . involve the same words as it does here in this post on “Homograph”. Whereas a Word Confusion is a pair (or more) of words that are confused spelling-wise with each other, Linguistics may jump in because of the confusion involved in how the words are used within the structural rules and principles of English.

As I discover more examples, also-known-ases, and additions, I’ll update this post. If you have a suggestion, I would appreciate you contacting me. If you found this post on “Homonym” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Homonym
Part of Speech: Semantics, Word Play, Figure of Speech
Definition: Words that sound alike and are spelled the same but have different meanings.

Homonyms may be:

  • Near synonyms with differing nuances of meaning
  • Words whose meanings are frequently misconstrued altogether
  • Trite, overworked, or stilted words
Examples:
bow front of a ship
bend from the waist
chip short for potato chip
a small piece of something removed
a small chunk of chocolate
a microchip
lie tell an untruth
assume a horizontal position on a flat surface
rose a flower
get up
set place an object(s) in a particular place
an expression of a period of time
harden into solid state
sic used in quotations to indicate an original misspelling, etc.
incite someone or something to attack
watch a timepiece usually worn on the wrist
to observe attentively
wave a hand movement that may indicate hello or goodbye
a long body of water curling into an arched form
worsted came off poorly in a fight
a type of wool
yard a unit of measure equal to three feet
round horizontal spar fastened to a mast
a piece of ground adjoining a house or building

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Linguistics posts by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Homonym

Moore, Carol. “Explanation of Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, and Heteronyms.” Buzzy Bee Riddles. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.magickeys.com/books/riddles/words.html>.

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

I can’t find where I originally found this chip with a chip in it. If anyone recognizes it, let me know, so I can properly credit the creator.

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