Words that can change pronunciation when capitalized

Polish-polish

Rainier-rainier

Any others?

Would you accept Tea/tea (Tea being the actress Tea Leoni, pronounced “tee-ah” or “tay-ah”)?

Or Ralph (actor Fiennes, pronounced “Rayfe”)/ralph (as in vomit).

Here’s a list I found online (they’re called “capitonyms”):

•Ares: God of War; ares: Plural of metric unit of area.
•August: Eighth calendar month; august: Important.
•Begin: Russian-born Israeli politician; begin: To start.
•Bund: Federation; bund: Irrigation embankment.
•Chou: Chinese dynasty; chou: Type of pastry.
•Degas: French painter and sculptor; degas: To remove gas.
•Embarrass: River in eastern Illinois; embarrass: Mortify.
•Ewe: A people and language Africa; ewe: Female sheep.
•Job: Author of a Biblical book; job: Employment.
•Junker: Member of Prussian aristocracy; junker: Old car.
•Lima: Capital of Peru; lima: Type of bean.
•Liver: Comedy duo The Liver Birds; liver: Human internal organ.
•Magdalen: Oxford college; magdalen: Reformed prostitute.
•Male: Capital of the Maldives; male: A gender.
•Manes: Deified spirits of Roman dead; manes: Plural of mane.
•Natal: Region of southeast Africa; natal: Relating to birth.
•Nice: French City; nice: Pleasant.
•Polish: Relating to Poland; polish: To make shine.
•Rainier: Volcanic peak in Washington; rainier: More rainy.
•Reading: Borough in England; reading: Comprehending writing.
•Said: Egyptian port; said: Spoken.
•Scone: Village of central Scotland ; scone: Biscuitlike pastry.
•Seat: Car manufacturer; seat: Chair.
•Slough: A borough in England; slough: Dead skin of reptile.
•Tang: Chinese dynasty; tang: Sharp Flavour.
•Worms: City in southwest Germany; worms: Plural of worm.

There’s an august event in August.

Téa Leoni has a cute accent, though.

As far as I’m concerned she’s got all kinds of cute things :smiley:

Good point…however there’s also actress Tea Falco (spelled without an accent mark).

Post edited to death because:

  1. I don’t know how to delete a posting
  2. I didn’t read the OP properly and my post made me sound like an arrogant idiot.

Carry on.

Home/home. For amusing historical reasons, the name is most often pronounced “Hume.”

Not quite the same, but the state is Ar-kan-saw and the river is the Ar-kansas. For most speakers.

  1. Just replace the text with “nm.”
  2. That never stopped any of the rest of us! :smiley: