Same sounding words many meanings. 6

[hairlessupportmonkey]

The things one thinks of in the shower.

Ok, so my partner is Vietnamese, and their language is difficult to master due to one word might have five meanings depending on how it is said and in what context. Typical far eastern language.

But English as we know likes to break its own rules and have a few words that sound the same, spelt differently with different meanings.

What came to mind:

Pour
Poor
Pore
Paw

I can think of several differing meanings for those four words that basically sound identical (perhaps you are American and really push the "r" sound, but that is another conversation about "English!")

Can anyone think of some more obscure words like this?

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[IPGuru]

Raise & Raze

They are almost oposites


A Maintenance contract is essential, not a Luxury.
Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[strongm]

>sound the same, spelt differently with different meanings

So you are looking for heterographs and homophones ...

>have a few words

I'd suggest we have more than you might think, actually.

let's see:

there, their, they’re.
here, hear
so, sew
bow, bough
peace, piece
right, rite, write, wright
there, their, they're
row, roe
flour, flower
praise, prays, preys
toad, toed, towed
seas, sees, seize
or, oar, ore

>Raise & Raze

And, of course, rays

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

Yes indeed. There are many obvious examples, but I would like to unearth some obscure ones. Although I am pretty articulate, I am always open to expanding my vocab.

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[strongm]

Not quite sure what you mean by obscure in this instance.

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

OK, less obvious.

we know lots of them already but are there other a lot less obvious

Another obvious examples.

Reed
Read
Reid

Desert and desert.

Threw
Through

To
Too
Two

These of course are all quite simple words. Are there some other that are more complicated in their spelling. (I know I am not really explaining myself too well.)


ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[SkipVought]

I've always found it amusing to use words like this in a sentence or story.

This one is best told, rather than written:
What is a one L lama? A Tibetan priest.
What is a two L lama; llama? A Peruvian pack animal.
What is a three L lama? A helluva big fire on Boston.

Which leads me to question:
Pour
Poor
Pore
Paw

Where "paw" only sounds like poor in Boston.

I remember moving to a town in eastern Massachusetts and hearing a neighbor tell me that he had lots of patents. I thought he was an inventor. Turns out, he had patterns.

Hence These things turn upon Boston.

 

[johnherman]

Yes, remember that as you travel from NJ and PA through NYC to Boston, the letter R gradually assumes the sound "h" when the "R" is not the first letter in the word.

Paahk the caah.
You aah a jehk.
Late fah wohk again.

==================================
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[SamBones]

You need to be careful talking about homophones, you could lose your job!

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...ars-association-with-gay-sex.shtml#maincolumn

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Didn't someone post this poem not long ago? It has the opposite topic of similarly spelled words pronounced differently. I talk about the first poem on that page, but others, like "WHY ENGLISH IS SO HARD TO LEARN" are even showing words spelled and pronounced identical and still having several meanings.

And the site is another nice finding on it's own.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[ChrisHirst]

Bow
Bough

Then there is

Bow (as in bend forward at the waist)
Bow (as in Archery)

which brings to mind

Waist
Waste

and finally


Doe
Dough
Doh!!


Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[SkipVought]

These are close enough sounding:
Eminent
Imminent
Facing this eminent presence presented an imminent danger.

Affect
Effect

And more:
Ascent
Assent
I had to get his assent to make my ascent of the mountain.

Cents
Sense
Scents
It made good sense to spend a few cents to purchase flowers with different scents.

For
Fore
Four

 

[kwbMitel]

I read once, I believe in Omni magizine, that there is a specific subset of these examples where the words are spelled the same yet pronounced differently with different meanings. I no longer remember the word to describe this subset but I do remember the example given as the longest word(s) of the type. There are longer words with 2 meanings such as invalid but the longest with 3 meanings is:

lather - Soap bubbles
lather - A user of the machine called a lathe
lather - A person who places lathes e.g. in lathe and plaster walls

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[ChrisHirst]

or, oar, ore

Reminds me, My ex-wife would often get words confused (something to do with being unable to talk and think at the same time )

So we have the kiddy winks all organised, suitably attired and we are setting off for an afternoon in the local park and boating lake etc. And the other half tells the next-door neighbour that we are going 'oaring' around Stanley Park lake.


Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

You see this is what makes our language great and interesting. keep 'em coming.

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[SkipVought]

And if you're a poet...

or, oar, ore, o'er
O'er the ramparts we watched

Also:

Air, heir, e're
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming

 

[SkipVought]

Pale
Pail
His face turned pale as he strode beyond the pail, for what he was about to do, was beyond the pale.

 

[SkipVought]

Cache
Cash
Forty years ago, cache was worth a lot more cash.

 

[Neil Toulouse]

When I was in Mexico a few years back, I had an odd conversation with a local who couldn't understand why we had so many words the same, with different meanings. When I got to the bottom of it he was referring to:

sh*t
shirt
sheet

..needless to say I had to point out they were different words, pronounced slightly differently, and that he shouldn't get a sh*t confused for a shirt

I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours...

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

My Brother told me when he was in a bar in Ireland, a bar tender asked if he wanted arse with that drink? My brother being my brother (obnoxious) said he definitely didn't want ASS with that. Naturally the thick Irish accent made ICE sound something like ARSE.

ACSS - SME
General Geek