Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Homophone

Hom′o-phone

,
Noun.
[Cf. F.
homophone
. See
Homophonous
.]
1.
A letter or character which expresses a like sound with another.
Gliddon.

Definition 2024


homophone

homophone

English

Noun

homophone (plural homophones)

  1. A word which is pronounced the same as another word but differs in spelling or meaning or origin, for example: carat, caret, carrot, and karat.[1][2]
  2. A letter or group of letters which are pronounced the same as another letter or group of letters.

Related terms

Usage notes

A homophone is a type of homonym in the loose sense of that term (a word which sounds or is spelled the same as another). (The strict sense of homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.) A homograph is a word with the same spelling as another but a completely unrelated meaning. Homographs are not necessarily homophones.

Translations

References

  1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophone
  2. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/homophone?view=uk

See also

An Euler diagram showing the relationship between these -nyms.
Different Meanings
nym Sound Spelling Category
homonym same same
heteronym different same (cat)
homograph not specified same
homophone same different (cat)
heterophone different different
synonym different different
  • Appendix:English dialect-independent homophones

French

Pronunciation

  • (mute h) IPA(key): /ɔmɔfɔn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔn
  • Homophone: homophones

Adjective

homophone m, f (plural homophones)

  1. homophonous

Noun

homophone m (plural homophones)

  1. homophone

See also