Homophones: Meaning, Examples and Uses

Homophones: All of us speak many languages to send and receive information. In simple words, language is a means of communication. Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but are spelt differently. When writing, we must use apt spelling to convey the correct meaning. Else, it results in ambiguity and the very purpose of communication is defeated. In this article, let’s understand homophones and their examples, uses in detail.

Homophones: Definition

As per Merriam Webster dictionary, homophones are words that are pronounced in a similar manner, but have different meanings or spellings.

Examples

Here are a few examples of homophones and their meanings.

Homophones	Meanings
Altar/alter	table/change
days/daze	Each of 24-hour periods/unable to think or react
Brake/break	Device to stop something/to cut something
Cell/sell	Basic unit of life/to give something for money
Air/Heir	Invisible gaseous substance/successor

Homophones as Puns

A pun is a grammatical tool used to create an impact on the reader by playing around with words which sound similar.

As regards homophones, they are used in English literature extensively. Here are a few examples:

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Homophones	Source
“Sole owner am I of this sorry soul …	Where Truth’s Wind Blew (By Venicebard)
“Now is the winter of our discontent … made glorious summer by this Son of York.” (The pun here is on the similar sounding words ‘son’ and ‘sun’)	Richard III (By William Shakespeare)

Homophones also play a great role in creating a humorous effect. They have to be used in a witty fashion so as to create an impactful message. Another example would be:

‘Don’t vote your caste, but cast your vote’

This is a profound sentence which touches upon the issue of caste in electoral politics. By using the words cast and caste – both homophones – a robust message is sent out, urging people to come out and exercise their adult franchise and not to give prominence to one’s caste.

Homophones, Homonyms and Homographs

These are not just similar-sounding words, but also carry similar meanings. Some even consider homonyms and homographs as different types of homophones. Let’s see how they differ from each other:

Homophones: as said, words pronounced in a similar manner, but have different spellings.

Homographs: Words that are spelt alike but pronounced differently and carry different meanings. For example: Bow of a ship and bow, a device to shoot arrows.

Homonym: A homonym may refer to both homophones and homographs.

Knowledge about homophones is indeed important for candidates who appear for competitive exams. Questions on homophones are frequently asked in the English sections of government exams like SSC, RRB and more. Hence a thorough knowledge and understanding of homophones go a long way in making the life of an aspirant easier.

We hope this article on homophones helps you understand the concept better. For more such informative articles, plese kee visiting Embibe.