Which term describes words that sound the same but are spelled differently?

Which term describes words that sound the same but are spelled differently?

• A. Homographs
• B. Puns
• C. Homophones
• D. Homonyms

Answer: (C)

When two words sound the same but are written differently, they are homophones. Their pronunciations match, but their spellings and meanings are different. For example, sea and see sound identical yet refer to different things, and knight and night share a sound but have distinct spellings and meanings. Other terms describe different relationships. Homographs are about spelling—words that are written the same but may have different meanings or pronunciations. Puns rely on wordplay from multiple meanings or sounds, not just on a pair of words that sound alike. Homonyms is a broader or less precise label that some use for words with the same sound or the same spelling but different meanings; focusing on the sound-alike-with-different-spelling relationship, the correct term is homophones.

When two words sound the same but are written differently, they are homophones. Their pronunciations match, but their spellings and meanings are different. For example, sea and see sound identical yet refer to different things, and knight and night share a sound but have distinct spellings and meanings.

Other terms describe different relationships. Homographs are about spelling—words that are written the same but may have different meanings or pronunciations. Puns rely on wordplay from multiple meanings or sounds, not just on a pair of words that sound alike. Homonyms is a broader or less precise label that some use for words with the same sound or the same spelling but different meanings; focusing on the sound-alike-with-different-spelling relationship, the correct term is homophones.