homophone
noun
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What are homonyms, homophones, and homographs?
Homonym can be troublesome because it may refer to three distinct classes of words. Homonyms may be words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings, such as to, too, and two. Or they may be words with both identical pronunciations and identical spellings but different meanings, such as quail (the bird) and quail (to cringe). Finally, they may be words that are spelled alike but are different in pronunciation and meaning, such as the bow of a ship and bow that shoots arrows. The first and second types are sometimes called homophones, and the second and third types are sometimes called homographs—which makes naming the second type a bit confusing. Some language scholars prefer to limit homonym to the third type.
Examples of homophone in a Sentence
Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
Perhaps Ziskie's most memorable performance of the aughts came from a provocative sketch on Chappelle's Show in 2004, which saw the actor play the patriarch of a white family whose surname is a homophone of a racial slur.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The campaign was clearly meant to be a cheeky play on the word jeans, which is a homophone of the word genes, but has spiraled into an online discussion about beauty standards, white supremacy, and more.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 July 2025
The puzzles are rarely straightforward and use homophones and wordplay—among other techniques—to keep players challenged.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
That being said, the games are rarely straightforward and often use wordplay, homophones and other techniques to make users think twice.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Greatly inspired, just two years later, Allen launched Maures Development, whose name is a homophone for Moors—an influential group of Black people that played a role in establishing Europe in the Middle Ages.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homophone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophone. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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homophone
noun
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