Hello. I’d like to know whether or not precedent and presidents are prounced the same way? Also, is there a difference between homophones and homonyms?
Hi FrankU,
Think of the ‘s’ sound in press when you say precedent and the ‘z’ sound in easy when you say president.
Homonym a word spelt and spoken like another word but with a different meaning as in: bear (animal) and bear (verb carry).
Homophone a word spoken like another word but with a different meaning or spelling as in: new (adjective) and knew (past of verb know).
Alan
Hi FrankU and Alan! Thank you both for asking and answering this question about homophones and homonyms because I remember coming across both terms several times and I was not sure about their meaning. Now I can distinguish between them.
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We might as well complete the package:
HOMOGRAPH: One of two or more words spelled alike but different in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation. Examples: bow of a ship, a bow and arrow, and a bow (deference/manners).
HETERONYM: One of two or more words that are spelled the same but that differ in pronunciation and meaning. Examples: bass (voice) and bass (fish); polish (shine) and Polish (from Poland); tear (rip) and tear (from eye).
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