Homophones are different from homonyms. The first part of each (homo) means 'the same'. If phon(e) means 'voice, sound' and onym means 'name', how are homophones and homonyms different? As the words suggest, homophones sound the same (their, there) though spelt differently, whereas homonyms have the same name (the same spelling) but have different pronunciations and meanings (bow, bow).
The following words are all based on onym meaning 'name'. What does each word mean? Use a dictionary if necessary. (You may not know some of these words, but once you recognise the word family, the words will seem less of a challenge - both to understand and to spell!)
synonym, antonym, acronym, pseudonym, patronym, eponym, metonymy
Thus, while English spelling can seem to be random and confusing, it is easier if we understand the reasons for spelling words in particular ways. The spelling section of this book addresses some of the common issues that we confront in spelling by explaining the logic behind the spelling. Most issues are simple, issues such as:
- why we spell brief using ie but weigh using ei;
- how it is easy to spell similar words if we pronounce them correctly, e.g. your and you're;
- how to add prefixes and suffixes to words and when to double letters, e.g. disappear and dissimilar or hopping and hoping;
- when to use the suffixes -able and -ible, as in bendable and flexible.