Which statement correctly defines homographs?

Which statement correctly defines homographs?

• A. Homographs are spelled the same but do not sound the same.
• B. Homographs are words that sound the same but aren’t spelled the same.
• C. Homographs are spelled the same and sound the same.
• D. Homographs are words with different meanings when pronounced differently.

Answer: (A)

When we think about homographs, we focus on how a word looks in writing. The same letters appear, but what the word means can change, and often the way it’s pronounced can change too. The idea that they are spelled the same but do not sound the same captures this at a basic level: you might read the same written form with different pronunciations to signal different meanings. A familiar example is read: pronounced /riːd/ today (present tense) but /rɛd/ in the past tense, even though it’s the same spelling. This helps you notice which meaning fits from context. Other options mix up related ideas. If two words sound the same but aren’t spelled the same, that’s about homophones. If something is spelled the same and sounds the same, that would not reflect the multiple meanings aspect. And saying different meanings when pronounced differently describes heteronyms, a more specific subset of words that share spelling but require a pronunciation change to signal different meanings.

When we think about homographs, we focus on how a word looks in writing. The same letters appear, but what the word means can change, and often the way it’s pronounced can change too. The idea that they are spelled the same but do not sound the same captures this at a basic level: you might read the same written form with different pronunciations to signal different meanings. A familiar example is read: pronounced /riːd/ today (present tense) but /rɛd/ in the past tense, even though it’s the same spelling. This helps you notice which meaning fits from context.

Other options mix up related ideas. If two words sound the same but aren’t spelled the same, that’s about homophones. If something is spelled the same and sounds the same, that would not reflect the multiple meanings aspect. And saying different meanings when pronounced differently describes heteronyms, a more specific subset of words that share spelling but require a pronunciation change to signal different meanings.