Language · 3
What is the term for a word that is spelled the same but pronounced differently?
Answer
Heteronym
A heteronym is a word with identical spelling but different pronunciation and different meanings, creating homographs that are not homophones. Examples include 'bow' (to bend, rhymes with 'cow') versus 'bow' (ship's front or weapon, rhymes with 'go'), or 'read' (present tense, rhymes with 'seed') versus 'read' (past tense, rhymes with 'red'). Heteronyms pose particular challenges for text-to-speech systems and language learners.
💡 Did you know?
'Heteronym' also goes by 'homograph,' but technically heteronyms must have different pronunciations and meanings.
Other options people guess
- Homophone
- Homonym
- Heterograph
Topics
- word types
- linguistics
- English
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