Homophones

Sets of words that have the same spelling but different meanings regardless of the fact whether they are pronounced the same or not.

They are sets of same or similar sounding words or word clusters that have different spellings, origins, and meanings.

Types of homophones

Synophone

Oronym

Heterograph

Heteronym

Pseudo-homophone

Homograph

Sets of words that have the same spelling but different meanings regardless of the fact whether they are pronounced the same or not.

Bat /bat/ - a winged mammal of the night
Bat /bat/ - a wooden ladle to hit the ball in sports
Letter /ˈlɛtə/ - a paper holding written messages to someone
Letter /ˈlɛtə/ - every single written unit in the alphabet

Words with the same pronunciation yet different spellings and meanings.

Week /wiːk/ - the unit of seven days
Weak /wiːk/ - lacking physical strength
Hair /hɛː/ - thin strands of mass outgrows on animal skin
Hare /hɛː/ - large rabbit

Words spelled the same but slightly different phonetically.

Lead /liːd/ - guiding from the front
Lead /ˈlɛd/ - a soft metal that is silvery in color
Bass /beɪs/ - the depth of sound
Bass /bas/ - a type of freshwater fish

Phrases word clusters that are phonetically similar but different in spelling and meaning

Stuffy nose - It’s not about the stuffy nose.
Stuff he knows - It’s not about the stuff he knows.
Ice cream - Ice cream sandwiches.
I scream - I scream, “Sandwiches”.

Same pronunciation but one of the words is not a proper word or wrong spelling for the other yet often used by mistake.

Groan - a barely audible sound expressing pain
Grone - a common misspelling of “Groan”
Crane - a bird with a long neck; a machine used in construction works
Crain - a common misspelling of “Crane”

These are similar sounding words that have only one phoneme difference, similar meanings yet different spellings

Beat /biːt/ - hitting someone
Bit /bɪt/ - wounding someone with a bite (past tense)
Effect /ɪˈfɛkt/ - results
Affect /əˈfɛkt/ - influence negatively