List of English homographs
Encyclopedia
lang=en
Homograph
s are words of like spelling but with more than one meaning. A homograph that is also pronounced differently is a heteronym
.
Some words are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable and verbs when it is on the second.
When the prefix "re-" is prepended to a monosyllabic word, and the word gains currency both as a noun and as a verb, it will probably fit into this pattern, although, as the list below makes clear, most words fitting this pattern do not match that description.
prepositions, although again that does not account for all of them. Also, some of these words only exhibit the stress alternation in certain varieties of English. For a list of homographs with different pronunciations (heteronyms) see List of heteronyms
Polysemes
One category are words most of which apparently had an original meaning of an activity, and later gained other meanings, such as those engaged in the activity, the product of the activity, the place or time where the activity occurs, or a verb to do the activity. Some began with one of the other meanings above. Here are some examples:
Wiktionary
Homograph
Homograph
A homograph is a word or a group of words that share the same written form but have different meanings. When spoken, the meanings may be distinguished by different pronunciations, in which case the words are also heteronyms. Words with the same writing and pronunciation A homograph (from the ,...
s are words of like spelling but with more than one meaning. A homograph that is also pronounced differently is a heteronym
Heteronym (linguistics)
In linguistics, heteronyms are words that are written identically but have different pronunciations and meanings. In other words, they are homographs that are not homophones. Thus, row and row are heteronyms, but mean and mean are not...
.
Some words are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable and verbs when it is on the second.
When the prefix "re-" is prepended to a monosyllabic word, and the word gains currency both as a noun and as a verb, it will probably fit into this pattern, although, as the list below makes clear, most words fitting this pattern do not match that description.
List of homographs
Many of these have first syllables that evolved from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
prepositions, although again that does not account for all of them. Also, some of these words only exhibit the stress alternation in certain varieties of English. For a list of homographs with different pronunciations (heteronyms) see List of heteronyms
- absent
- affect
- attribute
- bat
- bow
- can
- change
- clear
- combine
- commune
- compact
- compost
- compound
- compress
- conduct
- conscript
- console
- consort
- construct
- consult
- content
- contest
- contrast
- converse
- convert
- convict
- cool
- default
- defect
- digest
- discharge
- dismount
- display
- effect
- engage
- entrances
- exploit
- extract
- finance
- impact
- implant
- import
- impound
- incline
- increase
- insert
- insult
- intercept
- interchange
- intrigue
- invalid
- invite
- live
- object
- offense
- overcount
- overlay
- overlook
- park
- perfect
- perfume
- permit
- pervert
- proceeds
- progress
- protest
- purpose
- quail
- quarry
- rebel
- recall
- recap
- recess
- redress
- refund
- regress
- reject
- relapse
- remake
- research
- retake
- retard
- retract
- rose
- skied
- subject
- survey
- suspect
- sign
- tear
- transfer
- transform
- transplant
- transport
- transpose
- undercount
- update
- uplift
- upset
- yard
PolysemesPolysemyPolysemy is the capacity for a sign or signs to have multiple meanings , i.e., a large semantic field.Charles Fillmore and Beryl Atkins’ definition stipulates three elements: the various senses of a polysemous word have a central origin, the links between these senses form a network, and ...
One category are words most of which apparently had an original meaning of an activity, and later gained other meanings, such as those engaged in the activity, the product of the activity, the place or time where the activity occurs, or a verb to do the activity. Some began with one of the other meanings above. Here are some examples:- aggregation
- assembly
- congregation
- court
- delegation
- hospital
- hunt
- march
- militia
- ministry
- movement
- nurse
- police
- service
- university
- viking
- wedding
See also
- Initial-stress-derived nounInitial-stress-derived nounInitial-stress derivation is a phonological process in English, wherein stress is moved to the first syllable of any of several dozen verbs when they become nouns or adjectives. This is called a suprafix in linguistics...
- List of frequently misused English words
Wiktionary
- List of dialect-independent homophones
- List of dialect-dependent homophones
- List of heteronyms