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In linguistics

Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....

, heteronyms (also known as heterophones) are words that are written identically but have different pronunciations and meanings. In other words, they are homograph

Homograph

A homograph is a word or a group of words that share the same written form but have different meanings. When spoken, the meanings may be distinguished by different pronunciations, in which case the words are also heteronyms. Words with the same writing and pronunciation A homograph (from the ,...

s that are not homophone

Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...

s. Thus, row (propel with oars) and row (argument) are heteronyms, but mean (intend) and mean (average) are not (since they are pronounced the same). Heteronym pronunciation may vary in vowel realisation, in stress pattern (see also Initial-stress-derived noun

Initial-stress-derived noun

Initial-stress derivation is a phonological process in English, wherein stress is moved to the first syllable of any of several dozen verbs when they become nouns or adjectives. This is called a suprafix in linguistics...

), or in other ways:

1. Do you know what a buck does to does?
2. I like to read. In fact, I read a book yesterday.
3. Don't desert me here in the desert!
4. With every number I read, my mind gets number and number.

Most heteronyms are doubles. Triple heteronyms are extremely rare; an example, sin, is listed below. Proper nouns can sometimes be heteronyms. For example, the final syllable of Oregon

Oregon (disambiguation)

Oregon is a U.S. state.Oregon may also refer to:-Places:* Oregon, Illinois* Oregon, Missouri* Oregon, Nova Scotia* Oregon, Ohio* Oregon , Wisconsin** Oregon, Wisconsin * Oregon City, California...

 is pronounced like the word in by residents of that state in the USA, while in the name of the village of Oregon in Wisconsin, the final syllable is pronounced like the word on. There are also pairs which include both initialisms and regular words, e.g., US and us.

Heteronyms can also occur in non-alphabetic languages. For example, the Chinese character 行 can be pronounced háng, meaning "profession", or xíng, meaning "OK".

"Heterophone" literally just means "different sound", and this term is sometimes applied to words that are just pronounced differently, irrespective of their spelling. Such a definition would obviously include virtually every pair of words in the language, so "heterophone" in this sense is normally restricted to instances where there is some particular reason to highlight the different sound. For example, pun

Pun

The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...

s normally involve homophones, but in the case of heterophonic (or imperfect) puns, the two words sound different, and yet similar enough for one to suggest the other (for example, mouth and mouse).

Further examples

|ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ> |ˈ>

Examples of heteronyms in English

Spelling	Pronun.	PoS	Meaning
abstract |ˈ	a. n.
	æ	v.
abuse	ə	n.	improper treatment
	ə	v.	to use improperly
address	AmE and BrE ə	v.
	AmE ˈ BrE ə	n.
advocate	ˈ	v.	to argue for someone else
	ˈ	n.	a person who speaks in support of something
agape	ə	adv. Adverb An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....	open wide
	ˈ	noun	asexual, spiritual love
allied	ə	a.	The vice is of a great kindred: it is well allied.
	a.	The Treaty of Vienna had bound the Allied Powers to make war together upon Napoleon.
alternate	ˈ ~ æ	adj. Adjective In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....	other
	ˈ	v. Verb A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...	to take turns
appropriate	ə	adj.	suitable
	ə	v.	to set apart for
attribute	ˈ	n.	a characteristic
	ə	v.	to associate ownership
articulate	ɑr	v.	The tourists are the ones who always try to articulate every syllable when they speak the language.
	ɑr	a.	In one decade, the image of youth went from radicals uttering rage-filled rhetoric to the much less articulate valley girl or surfer wannabe.
axes	ˈ	n. Noun In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...	pl. of axis
	ˈ	n.	pl. of axe
ay/aye	ˈ .	adv.	He voted aye on the legislation he had sponsored
	adv.	They vowed their undying love for aye.
bass	ˈ	n.	low in pitch
	ˈ	n.	a fish
blessed	ˈ	adj.	having divine aid
	ˈ	v.	past tense of bless
bow	ˈ	n.	a stringed weapon
	ˈ	v.	to bend in respect
		n.	the front of a boat or ship
buffet	b ~ ˈ	n.	sideboard meal
	ˈ	v.	to strike
close	ˈ	v.	to shut
	ˈ	adj.	nearby
compact	k	v.	to compress
	ˈ	adj.	small
concert |ˈ	n.	We saw kd lang in concert.
	k	v.	We had to concert all our energy to stay awake.
conduct	ˈ	n.	action
	k	v.	to lead
confines |ˈ	n. pl.	Work within the confines of the contract.
	k	v.	But the contract confines my creativity!
conflict |ˈ	n.	The mother said to her belligerent son, "Violence is no way to resolve conflict!"
	k	v.	The two news reports seem to conflict each other.
console	k	v.	provide comfort from grief
	ˈ	n.	control unit
content	ˈ	n.	information
	k	adj.	satisfied
contract |ˈ	n.	The contract was supposed to expire seven years after it was signed.
	k	v.	Derek firmly stated that he would rather contract pneumonia and die than stand outside wearing that ridiculous pink and green poncho.
convict	k	v.	to find guilty
	ˈ	n.	one convicted
crooked |ˈ	v.	I crooked my arm to show the sleeve.
	a.	Unfortunately, that just made the sleeve look crooked.
desert	ˈ	n.	an arid region
	d	v.	to abandon
discard |ˈ	n.	Toss it in the discard pile.
	d	v.	But I don't want to discard it!
do |ˈ, d	v.	What do you think you are doing?
	n.	To warm-up, the singer sang the scale from do.
does	ˈ	n.	pl. of doe
	ˈ	v.	form of do
	ˈ	n.	one spelling of the plural of do as a noun - e.g. hair does
dogged |ˈ	v.	At night proctors patrolled the street and dogged your steps if you tried to go into any haunt where the presence of vice was suspected. (Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh)
	a.	Still, the dogged obstinacy of his race held him to the pace he had set, and would hold him till he dropped in his tracks. (Jack London, The Son of the Wolf)
dove	ˈ	n.	a bird
	ˈ	v.	past tense of dive
ellipses	ɨ	n.	Plural of ellipse
	ɨ	n.	Plural of ellipsis
entrance	ˈ	n.	doorway
	ɛ	v.	to delight
house	ˈ	n.	a residential building
	ˈ	v.	to place in residence
incense |ˈ	n.	Dad, I bought this incense at the temple.
	ɪ	v.	Big mistake. If you burn it here, you'll incense your mother.
intimate	ˈ	v.	to suggest
	ˈ	adj.	very close
invalid	ɪ	adj.	incorrect
	ˈ	n.	a disabled person
laminate	ˈ	v.	to assemble from thin sheets glued together
	ˈ	n.	material formed of thin sheets glued together
lead	ˈ	v.	to guide
	ˈ	n.	a metal (also, a past tense verb for to guide)
learned	ˈ	adj.	having much learning
	ˈ	v.	past tense of learn
lima |ˈ	attributive	They ate liver and lima beans.
	pn.	The capital of Peru
live	ˈ	v.	to be alive
	ˈ	adj.	having life
minute	m	adj.	small
	ˈ	n.	unit of time
mobile	AmE ˈ, BrE ˈ	n.	The baby sat in awe at the bright colors on the mobile.
	AmE ˈ, BrE ˈ	a.	Although most animals are mobile, the sponge is sessile.
	pn.	A city in Alabama
moped	ˈ	n.	a small motorcycle
	ˈ	v.	past tense of mope
multiply	ˈ	v.	to increase
	ˈ	adv.	in multiple ways
number	ˈ	n.	a numeral
	ˈ	adj.	more numb
object	ˈ	n.	a thing
	ə	v.	to protest
overall	oʊ	a.	Overall, we didn't do too badly.
	n.	I need new overalls.
periodic	p	a.	Temperature shows periodic variation.
	p	a.	Periodic acid is an oxoacid of iodine.
polish	ˈ	v.	to shine
	ˈ	adj.	of, from, or native to Poland
present	p	v.	to reveal
	ˈ	n.	a gift
primer	ˈ	n.	Book that covers the basic elements of a subject
	ˈ	n.	An undercoat of paint
produce	p	v.	to make
	ˈ	n.	fruit and vegetables
project	ˈ	n.	an undertaking
	p	v.	to cast an image
putting	ˈ	v.	pr. part. of to put
	ˈ	v.	pr. part. of to putt
ragged |ˈ	v.	She ragged on me about my ragged jeans.
	a.	But my ragged jeans are my trademark, I responded.
read	ˈ	v.	present tense
	ˈ	v.	past tense
rebel	r	v.	to resist
	ˈ	n.	one who rebels
record	ˈ	n.	physical information
	r	v.	to make a record
refuse	ˈ	n.	garbage
	r	v.	to decline
resign	r	v.	to quit
	r	v.	to sign again; re-sign
resume	r	v.	to start again
	ˈ	n.	curriculum vitae
root |ˈ or ˈ)	n.	The tree's root was rotted.
	v.	A pig can be trained to root for mushrooms.
row	ˈ	n.; v.	a line; to paddle a boat
	ˈ	n.	an argument
sake	ˈ	n.	benefit
	ˈ	n.	rice wine
separate |ˈ	a.	This should be divided into packets of ten cartridges each, which should be rolled up in flannel and hermetically sealed in separate tin canisters. (Samuel W. Baker, The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia)
	v.	To stalk these wary antelopes I was obliged to separate from my party, who continued on their direct route. (Samuel W. Baker, The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia)
sewer	ˈ	n.	drainage pipes
	ˈ	n.	one who sews
shower	ˈ	n.	precipitation
	ˈ	n.	one who shows
sin	ˈ	n.	a moral error
	ˈ	n.	abbrev. for sine
	ˈ	n.	Sumerian god of the moon
sow	ˈ	v.	to plant seeds
	ˈ	n.	a mature female in the swine species
subject	ˈ	n.	a topic
	s	v.	to cause to undergo
tear	ˈ	n.	liquid produced by crying
	ˈ	v.	to separate
tier |ˈ	n.	Our seats are in the third tier of the stadium.
	n.	Will the tier be around to make these knots?
use	ˈ	n.	function, benefit
	ˈ	v.	employ, utilize
whoop |ˈ	v.	Pa says he's gonna whoop you good if you don't learn some manners!
	v.	When they scored a goal, he began to whoop and holler.
wicked	ˈ	adj.	bad, evil
	ˈ	v.	past tense of wick (e.g. to wick away some liquid)
wind	ˈ	n.	air movement
	ˈ	v.	to tighten a spring
wound	ˈ	v.	past tense of wind
	ˈ	n.	an injury

External links

• The Home of the Heteronym, featuring There's a Sewer in the Sewer
• www.onetrickwords.com
• The Heteronym Page