Homograph
/ˈhoʊ.mə.ɡræf/noun
A word that is spelled the same as another word but differs in meaning, and sometimes pronunciation.
Did you know?Homograph comes from Greek roots meaning “same” and “written,” proving that language has long treated spelling like a kind of spellcraft.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
homógraphos
“written the same”
Late Latin
Latin
homographus
“same-written”
17th–18th Century
English
homograph
“a word written the same as another”
Modern English
English
homograph
“a word spelled like another but different in meaning and sometimes pronunciation”