# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/61 "2012-08-02T01:26:29Z")
In what accent does \*medal \*sound the same as _metal_? ---
**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:** [August 2, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/62 "2012-08-02T01:50:59Z")
> [@jcjc](#): > > And then I googled “most homphones” since I was curious if there was a word with more than four. I was happy to see that “air” had 7 or 8 or however many, but most people in this thread couldn’t beat three. Saw it hadn’t been posted here yet so I just had to post it. (there aren’t many legit 4somes here, tons of 3somes) Or you could have just read post #19. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/63 "2012-08-02T03:58:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I believe “err” is pronounced more like “ur”, is it not? It’s not “er”, which is an interjection meaning hesitation. “Err” means to make a mistake: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/64 "2012-08-02T04:05:26Z")
bore - drill boar - hog boer - south african boor - oaf bower - someown who ties bows? bougher - tree trimmer? ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/65 "2012-08-02T05:16:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Pin and pen are only homophones if you’re from New Zealand or someplace else that butchers the language. Nope. They are absolutely not homophones in NZ. Nobody seems to have mentioned these ones: pair pear peer pier pare The pair of peers pared pears on the pier. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/66 "2012-08-02T05:42:55Z")
> [@Mbossa](#): > > Nope. They are absolutely not homophones in NZ. > > Nobody seems to have mentioned these ones: > pair > pear > peer > pier > pare > > The pair of peers pared pears on the pier. Not the way I pronounce them; peer and pier are pronounced differently from the others. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/67 "2012-08-02T13:31:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > boer - south african This word, it really isn’t properly pronounced like any of the others (or any English word AFAIK). It has been (mis)pronounced the same as “boor”, and is listed like that in dictionaries, but that’s wrong, damnit 🙂 . And it doesn’t just mean “South African”, either. IMO, these are actually 2 groups of homophones, the “-or” and the “-oor” ones) > [@](#): > > bower - someown who ties bows? While “bower” is [a definite thing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20110707221304!Chlamydera_nuchalis_bower_-_Mount_Carbine.jpg) (amongst other definitions), the word _you_ want is “[bowyer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowyer)” > [@](#): > > bougher - tree trimmer? Now you’re just making stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/68 "2012-08-02T14:21:27Z")
Including proper names, there is bear bare Baer, Max (boxer) Bair, Doug (baseball pitcher) Boehr, Maria (Fashion model) Bayer asprin Behr paints Bexar County, Texas ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/69 "2012-08-02T14:40:35Z")
There are a few fanciful constructions of feasible words, with pairs of homophones that do not share any letters in common: Coffee / Kauphy Quays / Keeze ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/70 "2012-08-02T15:26:04Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > This word, it really isn’t properly pronounced like any of the others (or any English word AFAIK). It has been (mis)pronounced the same as “boor”, and is listed like that in dictionaries, but that’s wrong, damnit 🙂 . And it doesn’t just mean “South African”, either. > > IMO, these are actually 2 groups of homophones, the “-or” and the “-oor” ones) > > While “bower” is [a definite thing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20110707221304!Chlamydera_nuchalis_bower_-_Mount_Carbine.jpg) (amongst other definitions), the word _you_ want is “[bowyer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowyer)” > > Now you’re just making stuff up. South African was just an abbreviated desciption. I’ll ask a South African about the pronunciation. It’s a homophone for bore or boor every time I’ve heard it. Bower, for the plant I assume would be pronounced as bow-ur with bow pronounced like the word for bending from the waist. Do you know how bowyer is pronounced? Is it bo-yer? And yes, I definitiely made up the last one, but who knows? Maybe it’s been used as a word. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/71 "2012-08-02T21:09:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > South African was just an abbreviated desciption. I’ll ask a South African about the pronunciation. I am a South African. But I’m definitely not a Boer. Nor is my White wife. Although a Dutch person could also help. The word literally just means “farmer”. Wiktionary has the Dutch [soundclip](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/boer#Pronunciation_2). > [@](#): > > It’s a homophone for bore or boor every time I’ve heard it. Like I said, horrible English mangling. > [@](#): > > Bower, for the plant I assume would be pronounced as bow-ur with bow pronounced like the word for bending from the waist. /baʊəɹ/ rhymes with “power” or “hour” > [@](#): > > Do you know how bowyer is pronounced? Is it bo-yer? It’s /ˈbəʊ.jə(ɹ)/ [like so](http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=bowyer) ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/72 "2012-08-03T00:44:30Z")
There’s sees seas seize c’s (also spelled cees) seis (I’m not sure how it’s pronounced) the urban dictionary says it’s someone who breaks the sixth commandment ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/73 "2012-08-03T09:05:14Z")
> [@KellyCriterion](#): > > No love for > > There > Their > They’re? I’m a tutor. I just spent the afternoon teaching this one to one of my kids 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/74 "2012-08-03T18:21:01Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > It’s not “er”, which is an interjection meaning hesitation. “Err” means to make a mistake: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” However, there are some places where those two sounds have merged. But then that’d just mean that “Ur” and “er” were added to the list, rather than “err” being removed. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/75 "2012-08-03T21:03:54Z")
Merry, marry, and Mary. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/76 "2012-08-04T01:38:53Z")
> [@](#): > > seis (I’m not sure how it’s pronounced) the urban dictionary says it’s someone who breaks the sixth commandment I’m pretty sure that that’s just the Spanish word for “Six”, in which case both of the Ss make S sounds, not a Z sound like in an English plural. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/77 "2012-08-04T06:16:27Z")
‘four candles’ and ‘fork handles’ ‘stuffy nose’ and ‘stuff he knows’ ware, wear, where and weir carrot, karat, carat and caret But air wins. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/78 "2012-08-04T15:45:59Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > …‘four candles’ and ‘fork handles’ > ‘stuffy nose’ and ‘stuff he knows’ > … These are not strictly homonyms but [mondegreens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen). [Obligatory Joyce reference] Practically every page in _Finnegans Wake_ has one. [/Obligatory Joyce reference] ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/79 "2012-08-05T02:21:21Z")
A lot of the preceding are not homophones. bar (forbid) bar (place to drink alcoholic beverages) bar (legal) bar (unit of pressure) bar (metal rod) bay (howl) bay (shoreline indentation) be bee (bug) bee (game) by bye (aka farewell) bye (advance without play in competition) ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/80 "2012-08-05T02:44:18Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > In what accent does \*medal \*sound the same as _metal_? According to Wikipedia, in most US and Canadian accents. I’m from the midwest, and I certainly pronounce them identically, as I do ladder/latter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376.md?page=5)