Homophones and homonyms have different characteristics, but they are also sometimes the same thing.
Here is how you can tell the difference between a homophone and a homonym:
Homophones
These are words that are pronounced the same and have a different meaning.
Homonyms
These are words that are pronounced the same and have a different meaning, but that are also spelled the same way.
Examples
A good example of both the similarities and differences between the two is the word ‘key,’
You might have a key that unlocks a door, as well as a key on a piano. For both types of keys, they’re pronounced in the same way and have different meanings, so they’re both homophones. As they’re spelled the same way, they’re also homonyms.
However, things change if you pair it with the word ‘quay‘…
‘Key’ and ‘quay’ have the same pronunciation and have different meanings, so they’re both homophones. However, as they’re spelled differently, they’re not homonyms.
Make sure you check out our complete homophones list.
