Homonym vs Heteronym - What's the difference?
homonym | heteronym |
(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.
(linguistics) A word having the same spelling as another, but a different pronunciation and meaning.
(literature) A fictitious character created by an author for the purpose of writing in a different style.
As nouns the difference between homonym and heteronym
is that homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning while heteronym is a word having the same spelling as another, but a different pronunciation and meaning.homonym
English
Noun
(en noun)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)See also
(en) English abstract nouns ----heteronym
English
(wikipedia heteronym)Noun
(en noun)- ''Agape, "astonished" or "wide open," is a heteronym of agape, "Christian love."