I’m a huge Jeopardy! fan. I can’t remember when I started watching, but it was as a kid or a teen. My Mom loved Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune just go together. I enjoy trivia, and learning new things. I love the history and literature categories. And sometimes there are even some grammar categories (which makes me happy). I watch pretty much every episode (thank you PVR), and was really into this season’s Tournament of Champions (Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach, Matt Amodio). And it helps that Alex Trebek was such a proud Canadian. Even now, new host Ken Jennings always has a nice comment to say to Canadian contestants, making some comparisons to Trebek.
So what does Jeopardy! have to do with homophones and homonyms? Well, both end up as categories from time to time. In fact, homophones ended up as a Jeopardy! category recently and that got me thinking: What is the difference between a homophone and a homonym? (Of course, there has also been a category on homonyms.) According the J! Archive, Trebek explained homonyms in a September, 1984 show: “And for the benefit of our folks at home, homonyms, of course, are words that sound the same but mean different things.”
Honestly, a big help is just looking it up! Merriam-Webster has this quick note about the two:
Homophones are words that sound the same but are different in meaning or spelling. Homonyms can be either or even both. To help remember, think of the etymology: homophones have the same sound (the Greek phonos) and homonym comes from the Greek word meaning "name" (onyma).
Phone: same sound
Nym: same name
Okay, Merriam-Webster. What does that mean, though?
Homonyms: spelled the same, sound the same, but mean different things.
- Bow (bending at the waist, part of a ship)
- Bear (to endure or hold, an animal)
- Can (to fire someone, something to hold liquid, toilet)
Homophones: spelled different, sound the same, and mean different things.
- to, too, two
- their, they’re there
- wear, where
Homonyms: spelled the same.
Homophones: spelled differently.
So know that you’ve got homophones and homonyms figured out, here’s the curve ball: homographs.
Homographs: pronounced different, spelled the same.
- bass/bass (type of fish or musical register)
- bow/bow (weapon or bending at the waist)
- does/does (present tense of to do or multiple female deer)
For an excellent visual of the three, visit Your Dictionary and see their Venn Diagram.
Homonyms: spelled the same.
Homophones: spelled differently.
Homographs: sound different.
And now you’re wondering . . . Did Jeopardy! have some clues about homographs? It sure did! Look at the last clue in the Words About Words category.
Hopefully these examples help to clarify: homophone, homonym, or homograph? And I guess the trick is to keep watching Jeopardy! You never know when your new knowledge might impress someone (or even win you some money).
Happy writing!
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash