Definition · Plain-language
Homographs
Homographs are words that share the same spelling but differ in meaning — and sometimes in pronunciation — such as bow, lead and tear.
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Same spelling, different meaning
The word homograph comes from Greek roots meaning "same writing". Homographs are words that look identical on the page but mean different things. Many are also heteronyms — they are pronounced differently depending on the meaning: lead the metal (rhyming with bed) versus lead a team (rhyming with bead), or the wind blew versus to wind a clock. Others share both spelling and sound, such as bear the animal and to bear a weight, which makes them homographs and homophones at once. The defining feature is always the matching spelling.
Homographs and heteronyms
A heteronym is a special case of homograph: same spelling, different meaning, and a different pronunciation to match. The noun and verb forms of words such as record, present, object and conduct shift their stress — REcord (noun) versus reCORD (verb) — and so count as heteronyms. Not every homograph is a heteronym, though: when bear (animal) and bear (to carry) are read aloud they sound the same, so they are homographs without being heteronyms. This nesting — heteronyms inside homographs inside homonyms — is what makes the terminology precise but easily confused.
Why homographs matter
Homographs create ambiguity that only context resolves: a written sentence containing "the dove" leaves a reader briefly unsure whether it names a bird or means "dived". This matters for text-to-speech systems and language software, which must work out the intended meaning before they can pronounce a heteronym correctly. Homographs also fuel puns and crossword clues, where a single spelling can be pulled in two directions. For clear writing, the lesson is that spelling alone does not fix meaning — surrounding words must make the intended sense plain.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: words spelled the same but differing in meaning
- Origin: Greek homos (same) + graphein (to write) — "same writing"
- Pronunciation: may be the same or different across meanings
- Heteronym: a homograph with a different pronunciation per sense
- Family: a sub-type of homonym (the look-alike kind)
- Example: bow, lead, tear, wind, record
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: Homographs are always pronounced differently for each meaning.
Actually: Not always. Those that differ in sound (lead the metal vs to lead) are heteronyms, but many homographs sound identical (bear the animal vs to bear a load). The defining feature is shared spelling, not different sound.
Often heard: Homographs and homophones are the same thing.
Actually: Homographs share spelling; homophones share sound. A pair can be one, the other, or both. Both sit under the umbrella term homonym.
Often heard: Every homograph is a heteronym.
Actually: A heteronym is the special case of a homograph with a different pronunciation per meaning. Homographs that sound alike, such as bear and bear, are not heteronyms.
Going deeper
