Homophones, Homonyms & Homographs

There is some confusion on the site in the English section over the definition of various terms linked to the topic of homophones. In some cases this is down to deliberate over-simplification due to the age of the target audience. The table below should help teachers alter or correct any erroneous material on the site.

HOMOPHONES ->	HOMONYMS	<- HOMOGRAPHS
Same Pronunciation - Different Meaning	Same Pronunciation Same Spelling Different Meaning	- Same Spelling Different Meaning
e.g. pray (religious) / prey (catch) way (direction) / weigh (measure)	e.g. stalk (plant) / stalk (to follow) bark(dog) / bark (tree)	e.g. minute (small) / minute (time) certificate (verb) / certificate (noun)
¦ V	A homonym is both a homophone and a homograph	¦ V

In addition the following terms are also used...

HETEROGRAPHS	SYNONYMS	HETERONYMS
(are Homophones but not Homonyms)		(are Homographs but not Homonyms)
Same Pronunciation Different Meaning AND Different Spelling	Same Meaning	Same Spelling Different Meaning AND Different Pronunciation
e.g. to / too / two there / their		e.g. number (numeric) / number (numb) desert (to leave) / desert (place)

I hope that helps.

(Note: The material on Primary Resources has been collected over a long period of time. It has been produced by many different teachers and not all of it is consistent or 100% accurate. Although we do try to go back and amend older resources when mistakes are found this isn't always possible due to time constraints or technical reasons. Teachers should always check through and amend material (using non-electronic means if necessary) before using it with their own students.)