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Meaning & use

heteronyms

noun·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˈhetərənɪmz/
US/ˈhetərənɪmz/

“heteronyms” is a form of “heteronym”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meaning

  1. nounpluraltechnical

    Words with the same spelling but different pronunciation and meaning, such as lead the metal and lead the verb.

    Grammar: Plural of heteronym; used when talking about pairs or groups of words.

    Patterns

    • heteronyms like something
    • a pair of heteronyms

    Tear and tear are heteronyms, because one rhymes with air and the other with ear.

    The teacher gave the class a worksheet on heteronyms.

    Heteronyms can confuse learners because the spelling does not show how to say the word.

Common combinations

pair of heteronyms
Wind and wind make a pair of heteronyms.
common heteronyms
Read and lead are common heteronyms.
learn heteronyms
Students learn heteronyms to improve pronunciation.
examples of heteronyms
Her slides listed several examples of heteronyms.
English heteronyms
English heteronyms often have different stress patterns.

Synonyms and how they differ

homographs
Homographs is the wider group of words spelled alike, whether or not they sound different, so heteronyms are only those that differ in sound.
homonyms
Homonyms are words that share both spelling and sound but differ in meaning, so they are not the same as heteronyms.
contronyms
Contronyms are words that can mean opposite things, which is a different feature from heteronyms.

Opposites

homophones

Word family

heteronym noun
singular form
heteronymous adjective
having the nature of heteronyms
homonym noun
a word with the same spelling and sound as another
homophone noun
a word that sounds like another

Commonly confused: heteronyms or homophones? heteronyms or homonyms?

heteronyms vs homophones

Homophones sound the same but may be spelled differently, like see and sea, whereas heteronyms look the same but sound different.

heteronyms vs homonyms

Homonyms share both spelling and sound, like bat the animal and bat the club, so they are different from heteronyms.

Practice

Which pair are heteronyms?

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