Editorial Tip of the Week: Homonyms

Ever come across homonyms? Those pesky words that look similar or sound similar or even mean something similar but are actually different words? These words can sometimes be the bane of an editor’s existence, so be sure to keep an eye out while writing to make sure you’re using the right word and not its brother of a homonym.

Homonyms are words that share the same spelling as well as the same pronunciation, but can have very different meanings depending on the context of the sentence. For example, “stalk” can be a noun referring to a part of a plant or it can be a verb when talking about following or harassing another person. Other examples are “bear” (an animal or to carry), “left” (opposite of right or past tense of leave) and “fluke” (a stroke of luck or the fins on a whale’s tail).

Some define homonyms as words that share the same spelling or pronunciation, but these can be defined as homographs as well. Homographs share the same spelling but have different pronouncements and meanings. If they have the same pronunciation but different spellings, these words are called homophones (think to, too, and two). There are also subclasses called heteronyms, polysemes, and capitonyms. Most of these have to do with related meanings or similar pronunciations.

It is all a little confusing, so be sure to check out a really helpful group of homonym charts on Wikipedia and Alan Cooper’s Homonym’s Page for a great list of the many homonyms in the English language!