Scent, cent, and sent are all pronounced identically, but mean wildly different things

[RealityChuck]

All the words with the -ough combination are pronounced the same – or rather, they were when they entered the language. “ou” was pronounced something like “oo”; the “gh” was an attempt to replicated the phoneme – a guttural like the German “ach” or the Hebrew “Chanukah.”

So the spelling is correct; people just stopped using the “gh” sound and started finding new pronunciations.

[RealityChuck]

You can also point to “marry,” “merry,” and “Mary,” which in some dialects are pronounced the same. In others, two of the three are the same. And in others (including my own), they’re three different words.

So, if the words were spelled the way they were pronounced, some would write “Marry is marry.”

[pulykamell]

@Robert163

cent- seems to be slightly harder at the beginning
scent- seems to be slightly longer at the beginning
sent- is shortest with least emphasis at beginning

For me, they are all exactly the same.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

Originally Posted by RealityChuck
All the words with the -ough combination are pronounced the same – or rather, they were when they entered the language. “ou” was pronounced something like “oo”; the “gh” was an attempt to replicated the phoneme – a guttural like the German “ach” or the Hebrew “Chanukah.”

So the spelling is correct; people just stopped using the “gh” sound and started finding new pronunciations.

“The too-chhh ploo-chhhs throo-chhh the sloo-chhh.”? I dunno.

(Seriously, I believe you; couldn’t resist!)

[gigi]

@Robert163

cent- seems to be slightly harder at the beginning
scent- seems to be slightly longer at the beginning
sent- is shortest with least emphasis at beginning

Is this a whoosh? Next you’ll say to, two and too sound different.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

My favorite two examples. I was talking to a South African bishop and telling him about the time my I waited somewhere, starting at 1:58 and ending four minutes later. I added that my wife waited for the same length of time: “She waited from two to two to two two, too, Tutu!”

And then there’s a lovely sentence that Stephen Pinker introduced me to: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Which is to say, the buffalo living in Buffalo NY that are bullied by other buffalo living in Buffalo turn around and bully still more buffalo living in Buffalo.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

My favorite two examples. I was talking to a South African bishop and telling him about the time my I waited somewhere, starting at 1:58 and ending four minutes later. I added that my wife waited for the same length of time: “She waited from two to two to two two, too, Tutu!”

And then there’s a lovely sentence that Stephen Pinker introduced me to: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Which is to say, the buffalo living in Buffalo NY that are bullied by other buffalo living in Buffalo turn around and bully still more buffalo living in Buffalo.

I tried sticking “bison” in there, had a good laugh doing so, but it doesn’t work as well.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@burpo_the_wonder_mutt

I tried sticking “bison” in there, had a good laugh doing so, but it doesn’t work as well.

Bison bison Bison bison bison bison Bison bison!

Heehee. Language nerd jokes!

[pulykamell]

@gigi

Is this a whoosh? Next you’ll say to, two and too sound different.

Well, “to” does get the vowel reduced quite often, at least in my accent. The “to” in “two to two” has a schwa in my dialect. (In a stressed position, though, it’s homophonous with the other two.)

[fachverwirrt]

@pulykamell

Well, “to” does get the vowel reduced quite often, at least in my accent. The “to” in “two to two” has a schwa in my dialect. (In a stressed position, though, it’s homophonous with the other two.)

One of the GPS apps on my phone used to pronounce “two” and “four” like they were “to” and “for” in unstressed position. “Take 170 south for tuh miles.” “Continue on Page Avenue for fer miles”.

It’s been fixed.

[gnoitall]

@Thudlow_Boink

Of all the things that could make a foreign language hard to learn, is the existence of homophones really all that high on the list?

Down with homophonophobia!

NOO! I am strangly attracted to people who are uncomfortable with words that sound alike but spell differently.

I have homophonophobiaphilia.

[robert_columbia]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

…

Heehee. Language nerd jokes!

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@robert_columbia

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

One of my faves, along with what the frogs said to each other when the air was buzzing: Time’s sure fun when you’re having flies!

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx

[teela_brown]

Another three which are mixed up far too often:

Cite
Sight
Site

[Kenm]

@racepug

How’s THIS for confusing: the word “slough.” I’d always thought it was pronounced “sluf” and it is, but not all that far from where I live there’s something called the “Sammamish Slough” and, apparently, THAT “Slough” is pronounced “Sloo.” I didn’t know that and I’m a native English speaker. Imagine what that’d be like for someone who isn’t!

“Sluff” for “sloo” is a first for me. For the first time I can attach a date, to the hour, of a pronunciation. Oxford should have it so good.

[Peter_Morris]

There was a young poet from Slough
Whose limericks earned him no dough
He said "But I see
That the letters agree
And if that’s not enough then I’m through.

[Chronos]

Air: Breathable gas
Err: To do so is human
Ere: Before
E’er: At any time, poetically
Heir: Scion
Are: 100 square meters (what a hectare is 100 of)

You: The second person
Ewe: Hal Briston’s girlfriend
Yew: Wood for bow-making
U: 21st letter

[fachverwirrt]

@Chronos

Ewe: Hal Briston’s girlfriend

I don’t think his precise preference was ever stated.

[california_jobcase]

Carat, carrot, karat, and caret all have different meanings.