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Homonym vs Contronym - What's the difference?

homonym | contronym |

As nouns the difference between homonym and contronym

is that homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning while contronym is an alternative spelling of contranym.

homonym

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (semantics, strict sense) A word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning.
  • (loosely) A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning, technically called a (homophone) (same sound) or a (homograph) (same spelling).
  • (taxonomy) A name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another name that belongs to a different taxon.

    • Usage notes

    * Homonyms (in the looser sense) are divided into the two overlapping subcategories homographs and homophones. Examples: ** (die) and (dye) (homophones but not homographs) ** the (parasitic) (flatworm) called a (fluke) and (fluke), part of the tail of a whale (both homophones and homographs and therefore true homonyms in the strict sense) ** the metal (lead) and the present tense of the verb (lead) (homographs but not homophones)

    Related terms

    * homonymic * homonymous

    See also

    (en) English abstract nouns ----

    contronym

    English

    Noun

    (s)

    • References

    * Lederer, Richard. "Curious Contronyms." Word Ways, 11 (February 1978): 27-28.