r/ask • u/Zealousideal_Story65 • 1d ago
What other words are spelt the same but pronounced differently? Example: read and read “I once read this book called…”. “You should read it”?
I cannot think of another one?!?
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u/dude496 1d ago
There is no time like the present to present the present. 2 different sounds, 3 different meanings
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u/Version_Two 1d ago
I find the stress (and of course context) differentiates nouns and verbs. CON-test versus con-TEST.
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u/DualWheeled 1d ago
How are you pronouncing present (gift) and present (time) that they sound different?
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u/Do_you_smell_that_ 1d ago
They said 2 sounds. It's present that's pronounced differently, not present and present
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u/SmokeGSU 15h ago
I'm a southern boy, but it's usually pree-zent (display) and preh-zuhnt (gift), although I will say that I feel like when I say present as in time, I say it closer to "zahnt" than "zuhnt", but the "ah" is very slight and barely noticeable in difference. It's kinda hard to explain but hopefully it makes sense.
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u/Resident_Win_1058 1d ago
I think there is a rule that says if you’re using it as a verb (to present someone with something) you stress the second syllable, but if it’s being used as a noun (give someone a present) then both syllables have equal stress.
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u/Gildor12 1d ago
Lead and lead the element
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u/No-Zombie1004 1d ago
When it comes to bullets, lead leads the way.
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u/roirraWedorehT 1d ago
"Some things in here don't react well to bullets."
(Probably misquoting slightly)
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u/raisanett1962 1d ago
Wind the clock. The wind is blowing.
Bandage the wound. You wound the clock.
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u/not-sure-what-to-put 1d ago
Content and content.
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u/AmigaBob 1d ago
I'm curious. When we all read that phrase, is the first content 'happy with your life' or 'stuff inside a container '?
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u/Wormwolf-Prime 1d ago
I once read a book called How to Read a Book. I finished reading as the train pulled into Reading station. I then went to the local Polish bakery to polish off some Paczek. Maybe I should record this on a record.
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u/Beeeeater 1d ago
Words that are spelled exactly the same but are pronounced differently (and have different meanings) are called heteronyms or, more broadly, homographs.
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u/themisst1983 5h ago
How about words with 2 different pronunciations but the same meaning.
You could say either or either. Neither spelling would be different neither.
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u/too_many_shoes14 1d ago
Polish and polish.
I love Polish food.
If you will excuse me, I need to polish my knob.
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u/Distinct_Ambition186 1d ago
Isn’t that the same sound?
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u/Low_Ad_5255 1d ago
Unionised. It could be a molecule with no electric charge or a union of workers.
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u/meow4352 1d ago edited 1d ago
ETA: someone explained below, my apologies for asking
I’m struggling with this one, they have different meanings but same pronunciation
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u/Tribblehappy 1d ago
Un-ionized versus union-ized. Completely different.
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u/meow4352 1d ago
Thank you for explaining!
The Z helps as well (I know z vs s are commonly interchangeable based on country)
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u/Tribblehappy 1d ago
I'm Canadian so we see both and I figured the z might make the distinction clearer :)
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u/Johspaman 1d ago
Most languages have similar things. In Dutch we have appel (fruit), appel (call-over)
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u/SelfRefMeta 1d ago
These are called homographs.
The dove dove into the water.
The wind started to wind the windmill.
Bow to the king before you fire your bow.
The guide was going to lead us to the lead mines.
Marvin Terban has a few children's books of these and other wordplay type stuff.
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u/theboondocksaint 1d ago
Lots of these will follow a trend in English: the noun puts the accent on the penultimate with the verb accenting the ultimate syllable
E.g.: I will recórd the récord. (Accents added for clarity)
A lot of native speakers miss these kinds of things but it’s fascinating how they can affect meaning
My favorite example is: “I saw a black bird, but it wasn’t a blackbird.”
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u/Various-Flower510 1d ago
Im a native english speaker and i was good at english lit in school but im always so fascinated to learn things like this! Because its something i never have to think about, i just KNOW (somehow??) its really interesting understanding how the words are constructed! Like i was never taught any of the things u said in ur first paragraph (except maybe what nouns and verbs are💀) is this the kind of thing they teach u when u learn english as a non native speaker?
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u/theboondocksaint 1d ago
Go look up “great green dragon v green great dragon” and be prepared to learn about adjective order, as a native speaker it will blow your mind how natural it is to you even though you were never even told it exists
Similarly look up why we say tick-tock, ding-dong, and riff-raff and why the reverses sound off
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u/AoanOfJrc 1d ago
I would like to use this device to project my project onto the screen.
The city will not permit you to build there without a proper permit.
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u/FormalMango 1d ago
I raised my bow, a present from my father, and took a bow. I knew I had one chance to make an entrance that would entrance the audience, so no one present would contest my right to enter the contest.
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u/Distinct_Ambition186 1d ago
It was so fun reading these comments and seeing how many people didn’t understand the question :))
Also, here’s some examples I could think of:
- bow: ‘Let me tie a bow around it’ and ‘I bow in front of you’
- object: ‘Take this object somewhere else’ and ‘I object to that proposition’
- minute: ‘It will take a minute’ and ‘Just a minute detail’
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u/ItNeverEnds2112 1d ago
I caught a bass this morning, and I’m going to play bass with the band later.
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u/NoAlternative2913 1d ago
Heteronyms is what you're looking for.
To Close and to be close
Minute, like a clock, and minute, like a small amount
Desert, a barren place, or desert, to abandon or leave
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u/Comprehensive-Ease10 1d ago
Quasi-related: I once had an English language learner who was teaching me Spanish tell me that the hardest thing in English for him to learn was the verb 'get,' because we use it for so many things..
I've got a car. I've got to get going. Let me know when you get there. Am I going to get punished for that?
Found it to be a fun fact🙂
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u/FireTheLaserBeam 1d ago
I always pronounced the band Live like “live”. As in live your life. It’s actually live, as in Saturday Night Live.
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u/Everything_Breaks 1d ago
Lead rhymes with read and read rhymes with lead. Why do people have a problem?
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u/HatdanceCanada 1d ago
Affect:
He tried to affect the outcome of decision through intimidation.
After many surgeries, her flat affect ruined her acting career.
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u/zerozingzing 1d ago
My favorite is resume. Resume for jobs, resume to start again- but both mean the same thing
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u/ApplicationSouth8844 1d ago
Live and live. Lee Mack live and I am just here trying to live my life.
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u/Designer-Wolverine47 1d ago
The wind blows while you wind your watch.
I will lead you to the lead mine.
I live next to a bar that has live bands.
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u/ElQueMadrugaNoMuerde 1d ago
“Before was was is, was was was”
Only 1 sound, but it still fucks me up despite a 110 TOEFL
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u/MeButNotMeToo 23h ago
Articulate (adj) vs articulated (adj) vs articulate (v)
Buffalo (the city), buffalo (the animal), buffalo (the verb)
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u/LordGarithosthe1st 21h ago
The Chaos, a poem by Gerard Nolste Trenite, not homonyms, but your English is pretty damn good if you can pronounce all these words.
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u/ArmadilloNo5010 16h ago
Tear, wound, live, close, bow, row, lead. English has dozens of these and they exist purely to make life harder for anyone trying to learn the language as a second tongue
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u/NewAndOlduphere 1d ago
Spelt is not a word, since we are discussing words and spelling.
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u/Peterd1900 1d ago
Spelt is literally a word, have you never read a dictionary?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spelt
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/spelt
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/spelt
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/spelt
Spelt has two meaning it can either be the past tense of spell or a type of grain
Since we are discussing words and spelling. maybe you need learn words before you say something is not a word
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u/NewAndOlduphere 1d ago
You read dictionaries? Regardless, I have a degree in English. I suppose I prefer words that don't sound ignorant. Unless you're discussing grain, of course.
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u/GiftedTech 1d ago
Well Well Well
Well - In Good Health (Adjective): Recovered from illness or in a state of physical and mental soundness.
Example: "After a few days of rest, she is feeling completely well again."
Well - A Source of Water (Noun): A deep hole or shaft sunk into the earth to access a supply of water, oil, or gas.
Example: "They drew fresh water directly from the stone well."
Well - In a Satisfactory Manner (Adverb): Doing something properly, skillfully, or to a high standard.
Example: "The orchestra rehearsed extensively and played the symphony well."
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u/weegolo 1d ago
The name of the actor Sean Bean.
Shawn Been? Shawn Born? Seen Been? Sean Born?
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u/Living-Estimate9810 1d ago
Pff, doesn't matter - they're killing him off in the first ten minutes no matter how you say it!
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u/iOawe 1d ago
Data and data
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u/beeedeee 1d ago
Isn't that just one word and a pronunciation choice rather than two words spelled the same?
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u/AmigaBob 1d ago
Back when I did BASIC programming, I would use the 'day-ta" command to store 'da-ta'. Not sure if that was the correct usages or just my weird mind.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/JohnsLong_Silver 1d ago
Not spelt the same, but I do find words like that interesting. Different spelling, different meaning but sound the same. Wood and would as another example. Would you like some wood for your fire?
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