# Words with most homophones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376 "2011-07-26T12:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/1 "2011-07-26T12:49:34Z")
Or strictly speaking, words with the most heterographs, i.e. groups of words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and meanings. There is this set of four: new knew gnu nu (Greek letter) all of which (in some common dialects of English) are pronounced “noo” (in other dialects some or all of them are pronounced “nyoo”). Any other examples? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/2 "2011-07-26T12:54:15Z")
Bo Bow Bough Beau ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/3 "2011-07-26T12:59:46Z")
> [@BDoors](#): > > Or strictly speaking, words with the most heterographs, i.e. groups of words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and meanings. There is this set of four: > > new > knew > gnu > nu (Greek letter) > > all of which (in some common dialects of English) are pronounced “noo” (in other dialects some or all of them are pronounced “nyoo”). > > Any other examples? Isaac Asimov once had a mystery hinge on that: two, to, too, and “Et tu, Brute?” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/4 "2011-07-26T13:01:02Z")
Also: write, right, wright, and rite. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/5 "2011-07-26T13:53:33Z")
Not quite as many, but wildly differing definitions: hoard horde whored Technically, of course, the most homophones belong to Verizon’s San Francisco Office ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/6 "2011-07-26T14:24:05Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Not quite as many, but wildly differing definitions: > > hoard > horde > whored And, in British English at least, “hawed” (hesitated vocally) as in “hemmed and hawed”. Thinking of that British non-rhotic thing, there’s also board bored bawd baud (bit of a stretch maybe, but [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) lists it, pronounced “bawd”) ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/7 "2011-07-26T14:24:48Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Not quite as many, but wildly differing definitions: > > hoard > horde > whored > > Technically, of course, the most homophones belong to > > Verizon’s San Francisco Office He said word, not world. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/8 "2011-07-26T19:28:57Z")
The most I know of is “air”, though some of them are a bit of a stretch: Air: Breathable gas Err: Make a mistake Heir: Scion Aire: A tune (as in, “Londonderry Aire”) Are: A unit of area equal to 100 square meters (it’s what a hectare is 100 of). There’s also bite, bight, and byte, and it seems to me I used to know another one for that set, but I can’t remember it. EDIT: Another foursome. You: Second person Ewe: Female sheep Yew: Bow-wood tree U: 21st letter ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/9 "2011-07-26T19:41:32Z")
Another foursome: Thew Phew Few Feu (as in fee) ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/10 "2011-07-26T19:43:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The most I know of is “air”, though some of them are a bit of a stretch: > > Air: Breathable gas > Err: Make a mistake > Heir: Scion > Aire: A tune (as in, “Londonderry Aire”) > Are: A unit of area equal to 100 square meters (it’s what a hectare is 100 of). Ere: before E’er: ever ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/11 "2011-07-26T19:53:48Z")
Thanks, **hibernicus** , I should have remembered those. And **Quartz** , in what dialect are “thew” and “phew” homophones? ---
**Author:** ![BDoors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BDoors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDoors)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/12 "2011-07-26T20:02:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The most I know of is “air”, though some of them are a bit of a stretch: > > Air: Breathable gas > Err: Make a mistake > Heir: Scion > Aire: A tune (as in, “Londonderry Aire”) > Are: A unit of area equal to 100 square meters (it’s what a hectare is 100 of). Nice, although I don’t recognise “aire”. I thought the tune was called “Londonderry Air”. Still, with “ere” that’s a set of five. I don’t pronounce “err” like “air” myself, but I think I have heard others do so. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/13 "2011-07-26T20:10:34Z")
And of course, French has a set of 6 homophones (though only five different spellings) that are, AFAIK etymologically distinct: vert (green), ver (worm), vers (verse), vers (towards), verre (glass), and vaire (a kind of fur, weasel I think). And Cinderella’s “glass slipper” (makes no sense) was based on confusion between the last two words. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/14 "2011-07-26T20:12:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The most I know of is “air”, though some of them are a bit of a stretch: > > Air: Breathable gas > Err: Make a mistake > Heir: Scion > Aire: A tune (as in, “Londonderry Aire”) > Are: A unit of area equal to 100 square meters (it’s what a hectare is 100 of). > > There’s also bite, bight, and byte, and it seems to me I used to know another one for that set, but I can’t remember it. > > EDIT: Another foursome. > You: Second person > Ewe: Female sheep > Yew: Bow-wood tree > U: 21st letter I believe “err” is pronounced more like “ur”, is it not? Hey!: Not Naught Knot Dew Due Do ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/15 "2011-07-26T20:30:08Z")
Carrot Carat Karat Caret ---
**Author:** ![TimToyGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@TimToyGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimToyGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/16 "2011-07-26T20:36:23Z")
A fun example I remember from Games Magazine some time back: When the shepherd asked us “Did YOUSE see any EWES over by the YEWS?” we knew he didn’t USE good grammar. youse ewes yews use u’s ---
**Author:** ![jeffgorc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jeffgorc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffgorc)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/17 "2011-07-26T21:10:50Z")
By Bye Bi Buy ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/18 "2011-07-26T21:35:32Z")
I Aye Eye Eau O Oh Owe ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/19 "2011-07-26T22:26:31Z")
The funniest book that nobody’s ever heard of is [The World’s Largest Cheese by Christopher Cerf](http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Largest-Cheese-Christopher-Cerf/dp/B0006BVCVO/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1311718383&sr=8-20). Cerf was part of the Harvard Lampoon in its glory days, and while there published a cartoon piece with Michael K. Frith and Jack Winter called “See the Merino Standing There, with His Long, Shaggy Hair.” A merino is a type of long-haired sheep. Each page is a cartoon of a merino plus a caption of wordplay. You see the merino with a long shaggy: hair hare Eyre Eire air hayer heir before veering off into “C,” the merino or the merino “Stan Ding.” The cartoons are great and you can’t get the humor without them. So you have to buy the book. You will thank me. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/20 "2011-07-26T22:35:45Z")
Are we allowed to cross over language boundaries? Driving on the highway, getting hungry, we see signs for a place with great frittatas… Aye, I eye āy, ai ail Ei, ai ay. āy - Arabic for ‘signs’ ai - Chinese for ‘love’ ail - French for ‘garlic’ Ei - German for ‘egg’ ai - Italian for ‘to the’ ay - Turkish for ‘moon’. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376.md?page=2)