Homophone
/ˈhɒm.ə.fəʊn/noun
A word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning, spelling, or both.
Did you know?Homophone comes from Greek roots meaning “same sound,” and it belongs to the same ancient family as words built on phonē, the root behind voice, tone, and even symphony.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
homóphōnos
“having the same sound or voice”
Late Latin
Latin
homophōnus
“same-sounding”
17th Century
French
homophone
“same-sounding word or letter”
18th Century
English
homophone
“a word pronounced like another but different in meaning or spelling”
Modern English
English
homophone
“a word that sounds the same as another word but differs in meaning, spelling, or both”
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