Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. They aren't necessarily spelled the same.
3
votes
1answer
111 views
“dispatch” v “despatch” [closed]
Using it in the example of:
Can you log despatch and delivery of documents?
Three questions:
Is despatch a misspelling of dispatch that made its way into the dictionary? Could I use dispatch ...
-2
votes
2answers
216 views
“Night” and “knight” in speech
In English as Germanic language K is ignored at the beginning of word in speech. Night and knight have to be pronounced similar. Then how to differentiate?
0
votes
2answers
151 views
Has the contraction “you’re” finally been replaced by “your”?
Your is almost universally used these days for you’re (“you are”). Is the misuse of your a result of ignorance, or is the contraction now formally dead?
2
votes
2answers
357 views
Are “flower” and “flour” always homophones?
Flower and flour are said to be homophones. However, considering the number of different pronunciations (/flaʊə/ like BrE sour, /flou(-ə)r/ like AmE sour, /flɑː/ (forvo) like BrE car, etc.) floating ...
2
votes
3answers
172 views
Are “rode” and “rowed” pronounced the same?
Is there an English accent which would distinguish these two sentences?
He rode from the bridge to the pier.
He rowed from the bridge to the pier.
1
vote
3answers
860 views
Do “here” and “hear” have the same phonetic transcription in the same country?
Is there any accent that makes a distinction when pronuncing “here” and “hear”?
From Wiktionary:
Here
(UK) /hɪə(ɹ)/
(US) /hɪɹ/
Hear
(UK) /hɪə(ɹ)/
(US) IPA: /hiːɹ/
So, according to that, US ...
-1
votes
1answer
306 views
Is there a name for words following this pattern?
Word pairs like bizarre and bazaar, although spelled differently sound very similar. It also seems like they are more than just a pair of rhyming words.
Is there a classification within rhyming ...
4
votes
8answers
1k views
What is the correct pronunciation of the word “route”?
I have always used both "root" as in route 66 and "rooter" as in the networking device. The latter has gotten me funny looks often, however I could not bring myself to accept the inconsistency. Today ...
1
vote
1answer
790 views
Is there a difference in pronunciation between “steal” and “steel”? [closed]
I'm learning English and recently I have found that there is a difference in pronunciation between such words as: hit and heat, sit and seat.
I want to know if there is a similar difference in ...
-2
votes
3answers
177 views
use of contractions (and some homophones)
Is it true that the current usage and spelling of words like we're/were, there/they're/their, your/you're, etc. is shifting? I heard that in the next generation the apostrophe may be disappearing in ...
9
votes
1answer
277 views
What is a term for words that are both homophones and homographs?
While there are homophones like bear and bare, and homographs like sow, the pig, and to sow a seed, is there a term for words that cover both categories? The example that comes to mind for me is to ...
3
votes
2answers
203 views
Pronunciation: “use” versus “use”
Compare pronunciations:
"I want to use the bathroom" (yoos)
"I made use of the bathroom." (yus)
My poor attempt at creating a phonetically descriptive syntax is supposed to convey that, with the ...
16
votes
4answers
3k views
In a tournament, do I get a “by”, a “bye”, or a “buy”? [closed]
If there are an odd number of competitors at any stage of a single-elimination tournament, one player is excused from play and continues on as if he had defeated his (nonexistent) opponent. This is ...
3
votes
2answers
314 views
Why do people so often use “jive” when they actually mean “jibe”?
I often hear people use the word "jive" when I'm pretty sure they mean "jibe." It's a subtle sound difference so it's hard to catch. But why do so many people mix these two up?
1
vote
3answers
121 views
When should I use “your”, and when “you're”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Your” vs. “you're”: Why the confusion?
Instead of saying "you're free to [...]," I've seen many people use "your free to [...]."
I've seen ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
“has gone by” or “has gone bye?”
Is it correct to say, "so much time has gone by", or should "by" be replaced with "bye?"
What are some other things someone can say with "by" at the end?
7
votes
4answers
2k views
“Complimentary” vs “complementary”
I got a bit mixed up just now over the difference between "complimentary" and "complementary". My colleagues were arguing over the correct spelling of "complimentary drink" at a nightclub event, and ...
0
votes
5answers
2k views
Do people perceive a difference between “phantasy” and “fantasy”?
When I started to learn English, I was used to write phantasy instead of fantasy, and I was always corrected.
I recently noticed that phantasy is an English word too.
Do people give to those words a ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it “bear the shame” or “bare the shame”?
Google returns results for both variations of this common phrase.
bear the shame
bare the shame
What is the meaning of this phrase, and which one is correct? Is the speaker carrying their shame ...
5
votes
2answers
966 views
How to remember using “have” instead of “of”?
I'm (reasonably) sure these are wrong:
I would of won.
I could of done that.
and are likely so common because if you phonetically transcribe "would've", "could've", etc, that's what you get. ...
1
vote
1answer
329 views
Name and list of words with common sounds that share common meanings
There are some words that have similar sounds, though they seem to not share any particular root, and have general connotation. For example, gl-, in gleam, glitter, glisten, has something to do with ...
6
votes
1answer
224 views
Jackson = $$son: pun or topical reference
Alfred Bester's short story The Demolished Man (the original version serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1952, not the novel published in 1963) may have been the first instance of SMS-speak, featuring ...
9
votes
6answers
653 views
“Your” vs. “you're”: Why the confusion?
I have seen many comments on different blogs and forums where English native speakers spelled you're as your. I'm not a native speaker, but I know and understand the difference between the two. Why is ...
23
votes
2answers
59k views
9
votes
2answers
403 views
All together vs. Altogether
Do all together and altogether mean the same and if not, what are the differences?
