Why is tear and tear spelled the same?

English words are also spelled according to their etymologies rather than their sound. For instance, the word tear meaning a liquid drop that falls from an eye is derived from the Old English word tear, meaning a drop or nectar; tear meaning to pull apart comes from the Old English word tearan, which means to lacerate.

Table of Contents

What are the 100 example of homophones?

100 Examples of Homophones

abel — able.
accede — exceed.
accept — except.
addition — edition.
all ready — already.
6.ax — acts.
axel — axle.
axes — axis.

Can words have multiple denotations?

When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms. When they are just spelled the same but sound different and have different meanings, then they are homographs. Here are some of the most popular homonyms and homographs in the English language.

What are homophones and homographs?

Homographs are words that are spelt the same but have different meanings. Understand it with examples. Now that we have gained familiarity with the meaning of homonyms, homophones and homographs, lets us explore the list of homophones.

What is a homophone for flower?

A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and/or spelling. “Flower” and “flour” are homophones because they are pronounced the same but you certainly can’t bake a cake using daffodils.

What is a homonym?

Homonym may be used to refer to either homophones or to homographs. Some people feel that the use of homonym should be restricted to words that are spelled alike but are different in pronunciation and meaning, such as the bow of a ship and the bow that shoots arrows.

What is the root word of homophone?

Homophone comes from the Greek -phōnos (meaning “sounding”); homograph is from the Greek graphein (“to write”); homonym is from the Greek onyma (meaning “name”). Love words? Need even more definitions? Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!