In English
Examples:
- (1)
- bear (verb) – to support or carry
- bear (noun) – the animal
In (1) the words are identical in spelling and pronounciation (i.e. they are also homophones), but differ in meaning and grammatical function.
- (2)
- sow (verb) – to plant seed
- sow (noun) – female pig
(2) is an example of two words spelt identically but pronounced differently. Here confusion is not possible in spoken language but can occasionally occur in written language.
Read more about this topic: Homograph
Famous quotes containing the word english:
“Take heed of enemies reconciled, and of meat twice boiled.”
—Collected in John Ray, English Proverbs. English proverb (1670)
“Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?”
—Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986)