English is known for being a tricky language to learn, full of confusing and contradictory rules that are difficult to follow. One of the more confusing but amusing elements of the English language is the heteronym. In this article, we’ll explore what heteronyms are and provide you with some examples of them.
What are Heteronyms?
In phonology and grammar, heteronyms are words that are spelt the same, but have different meanings and different pronunciations. Two words can be homographs, but not homophones.
For example, “row” (use oars) and “row” (argument) are heteronyms because they employ different sounds, while “mean” (signify) and “mean” (average) are not heteronyms because they are pronounced the same (these are called homonyms).
Most heteronyms come in pairs. There are instances of three different words being heteronyms, but this is relatively rare. Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings or spelling.
To repeat, heteronyms are specific homographs. The differences in pronunciation are associated with different definitions or meanings.
In a significant number of cases in the English language, heteronyms are a noun-verb pair, and the words are pronounced differently.
Examples of Heteronyms
A few examples are given in the list below. This list is limited to the words that are most often used in English.
Some pairs of heteronyms have entirely different meanings, while others have implications that
are somewhat related.
Affect – touch someone’s feelings/emotion or desire
Alternate – occur in turn repeatedly/different choice or option
Attribute – regard something as being caused by/trait, quality, or characteristic
Axes – plural of ax/plural of axis
Bass – stringed instrument/type of fish
Bow – instrument used to shoot an arrow/bend the upper part of the body as a greeting or sign of respect
Bowed – past tense of bow (see above)/twisted or warped
Buffet – to strike repeatedly, as wind or waves/meal of several dishes where diners help themselves
Close – to move to cover an opening/nearby
Conduct – to lead or guide/how a person behaves
Conflict – to be incompatible or at a variance/a serious disagreement or argument
Console – to comfort/an electronic panel or unit with a set of controls
Desert – to leave or abandon/a dry, barren area of land
Digest – to break down food in the stomach/a compilation or summary of information
Does – third-person singular present tense form of “do”/plural of “doe”
Dove – past tense of “dive”/a type of bird
House – to provide accommodations/home
Incense – to make angry/substance that is burned for its sweet or pleasant odor
Intern – to confine someone as a prisoner/a student or trainee who is working to gain experience
Lead – to show someone the way/a type of metal
Moderate – to make or become less extreme/average in amount
Number – comparative form of “numb”/an arithmetical value
Object – to say or do something to express disagreement or disapproval/material thing
Perfect – to make something without flaw or defect/without flaw or defect
Permit – to give authorization or consent/an official document that gives permission
Polish – to rub the surface of something so it becomes smooth and shiny/relating to Poland
Record – to set down in writing or other permanent form for later reference/something kept in writing or other form for permanent keeping
Refuse – to indicate or show unwillingness to do something/garbage
Separate – to cause to move or be apart/viewed as a unit apart or by itself
Sewer – an underground conduit for carrying away wastewater/a person who sews
Subject – to cause or force to undergo/a person or thing that is being discussed
Tear – to rip or pull apart in pieces/a drop of liquid secreted by the eyes
Wind – to twist or coil something around a core/the natural movement of air
And now a few examples. Try to say them:
Do you know what deer does to does?
I love to read so much that I read five books last week.
After reading the 500-number list repeatedly, her brain became the number.
“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” – Robert Frost
Care needs to be exercised when writing sentences that contain heteronyms since they can cause some confusion.
I subject my friends to pain every time I talk about the subject of my surgery.
When the forest fire got very close, the fire department had to close the road.
What examples of heteronyms do you know?