In June our Grammar Lesson of the Month was about Homophones. You might remember that homophones are words with the same sound but different spellings. Some examples include:
here/hear
their/their/they’re
your/you’re
In September, we are looking at another category of English words that have something in common: homographs. Homographs are words with the same spellings but different meanings, different origins, or different pronunciations. The word homograph comes from the Greek words “homo” (same) and “graph” (to write).
Some examples of homographs include:
date (noun): the fruit or a specific point on a calendar
date (verb): to go out with another person, usually with romantic intentions
pick (noun): a tool used to chip away at something (example: ice pick)
pick (verb): to choose something
hide (verb): to go somewhere where you cannot be seen or found
hide (noun): the skin of an animal
wind (noun): the flow of air
wind (verb): to turn something around. (Example: winding your watch so it starts working again.)
Most English language students agree that the most difficult thing about homographs is learning to pronounce them correctly. Sometimes the words are pronounced the same, but sometimes, they are not. One of the examples of homographs has two words that are not pronounced the same. Do YOU know which one it is?
* For a little practice with Homophones, check out our previous post Practice with Homophones.