# 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:** 6
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/101 "2013-09-06T19:51:55Z")
You can add cay, Deegheea- ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/102 "2013-09-06T20:14:09Z")
Smythe Fanshaw-ffolkes (Sir Reginald) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/103 "2013-09-06T21:31:52Z")
> [@fanganga](#): > > If we’re allowing proper nouns, then there’s Ayr - I can’t get my head around the homophony of err, though - do people who pronounce err and air the same also find bed and bade homophonous? In my case, no. “Err” and “air” are the same in casual speech. “Bade” and “bed” are nothing alike. ---
**Author:** ![fanganga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fanganga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fanganga)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/104 "2013-09-07T16:16:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > In my case, no. “Err” and “air” are the same in casual speech. “Bade” and “bed” are nothing alike. Thanks for the reply - Do you pronounce the vowel of “Err” and “Air” closer to that of “bed” or “bade”? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/105 "2013-09-07T16:58:54Z")
Like neither of them, though I suppose it’s marginally less different from “bade”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/106 "2013-09-07T19:38:54Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Sue: name > sue: legal action > Sioux: Indians > Sou: french coin > Sault (St. Marie): City Also: \*Jack Soo = actor in sitcom Barney Miller Also, the formal name of the waterway at Sault Ste Marie is “Soo Locks” \*Ndamukong Suh = Football player, Detroit Lions \*sous = plural of sou, french coin ---
**Author:** ![Cyberpope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@Cyberpope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberpope)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/107 "2015-11-06T04:55:47Z")
> [@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? I’ve come up with: air ere are (as in metric base unit of area) heir err I thought I had 6, but can’t recall the other one. . . ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/108 "2015-11-06T05:04:30Z")
> [@Cyberpope](#): > > I’ve come up with: > air > ere > are (as in metric base unit of area) > heir > err > > I thought I had 6, but can’t recall the other one. . . (Jane) Eyre ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/109 "2015-11-06T05:25:13Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Add “eaux” to the list and this set is in second place, behind air/err/heir/aire/are/ere/e’er/Eyre/Eire (plus hair/hare/hayer for h-dropping dialects), which are certainly homophonous in many dialects. I don’t think anyone’s going to beat that one. _Éire_ has two syllables. Plus, the ‘r’ is voiced, even in non-Rhotic dialects, but it is voiced differently from the ‘r’ in all the other words listed. Plus, it’s not an English word, so can only be included if you allow multilingual lists. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/110 "2015-11-06T05:39:24Z")
Since Cents Scents Sense ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/111 "2015-11-06T07:24:34Z")
> [@Deegeea](#): > > key - used to unlock or decode > quay - dock > chi - mystic energy used in martial arts > qi - also mystic energy, this time a term from Chinese traditional medicine > kee - kilogram abbreviation (first syllable) > kie - cattle/kine > > although really only the first is a general use word. The others are either rare, only partially adopted into English, slangy or archaic. **Qi** and **chi** (often spelled **ch’i** ) are just two different spelling of the same word. **Qi** is the Pinyan spelling and **ch’i** is Wade-Giles. And the pronunciation should be different than the other words. A ch-sound rather than /k/. However, you could add **cay** to the others. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/112 "2015-11-06T07:41:15Z")
> [@Cyberpope](#): > > I’ve come up with: > air > ere > are (as in metric base unit of area) > heir > err > > I thought I had 6, but can’t recall the other one. . . [Ayre is the name used for shingle beaches in Orkney and Shetland.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayre_(landform)) ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/113 "2015-11-06T10:03:05Z")
I thought it would be easy to do in Chinese, as the language has relatively few valid syllables, and homophones are the norm. But adding the following constaints: (same tone as well as homophone, must work as standalone word not merely a component of compound words, different character not just different meaning for same character, commonly-used modern word), I only get 6 for _shi_ fourth tone 是 - To be (verb) 事 - Matter, affair (noun) 试 - Try (verb) 市 - Market (noun, usually _shichang_ but can use _shi_ on its own) 室 - Room (noun) 示 - To show (verb, usually part of compound words, but can be on its own) ---
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/114 "2015-11-06T15:17:46Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I thought it would be easy to do in Chinese, as the language has relatively few valid syllables, and homophones are the norm. > But adding the following constaints: (same tone as well as homophone, must work as standalone word not merely a component of compound words, different character not just different meaning for same character, commonly-used modern word), I only get 6 for _shi_ fourth tone > > 是 - To be (verb) > 事 - Matter, affair (noun) > 试 - Try (verb) > 市 - Market (noun, usually _shichang_ but can use _shi_ on its own) > 室 - Room (noun) > 示 - To show (verb, usually part of compound words, but can be on its own) A few more, following your constraints more or less: 势 - power/influence 释 - explain 誓 - oath 氏 - clan/surname 逝 - pass away 柿 - persimmon ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/115 "2015-11-06T16:50:20Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > If we are, head for the hills, because I’ve been reading Finnegans Wake for 30 years. I think I could dig up a few…😉 Made it to page 2, did you? 😉 I tried for about a week. I managed to get that someone fell off a roof and died. Felt like nothing more was needed. ---
**Author:** ![misneac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@misneac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misneac)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/116 "2018-06-19T04:47:08Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > bore - as with al gore > bore - as with a drill > bore - meaning gun caliber > bore - meaning tidal bore > bore - as with mother mary with jesus > bore - down with a truck > bore - frodo with the ring > boar - male pig? You forgot boor; a discourteous person, as in boorish. I suggest bore, boar, boor, and maybe Boer. The others are pronounced the same because they’re spelled the same. Also, the bore of a weapon doesn’t have to do with caliber; it’s either the interior of the barrel, or wrongly associated with a method of measuring the size of the interior of the barrel which depends on how many lead balls of that particular size make up 1 pound. I’ve heard a 10 gauge called (erroneously) a 10 bore. Caliber is merely the measurement of the diameter of the bore expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch. Even that is suspect though, since .380acp, .357mag, .38spcl, and 9mm (roughly 4 “caliber” per mil) all have the same diameter. A lot of time caliber can be confusing since the bore itself is rarely the only thing measured. Instead, the outside of the bullet or the inside of the cartridge case are sometimes measured, leading to wildly divergent measurements for the same object. A perfect of example of this is the Medusa M47 revolver, which is really nifty if you haven’t seen one before and like that sort of thing. 25 different types of ammo out of 1 pistol. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/117 "2018-06-19T05:19:33Z")
> [@misneac](#): > > You forgot boor; a discourteous person, as in boorish. > > I suggest bore, boar, boor, and maybe Boer. Boor is not a homophone of bore or boar; it is pronounced with a long o while bore and boar have a short o. Boer has several variant pronunciations and can match either of the others (plus be pronounced somewhat differently). ---
**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:** [June 19, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/118 "2018-06-19T13:15:45Z")
Since this thread was last active, I did manage to find an example of the same spelling, with four different etymologies: Mole. It’s a small burrowing mammal, or a skin blemish, or a quantity of 6.02\*10^23 of something, or a Mexican sauce. Though I think the last of those is pronounced differently. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/119 "2018-06-19T13:20:28Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Boor is not a homophone of bore or boar; it is pronounced with a long o while bore and boar have a short o. Boer has several variant pronunciations and can match either of the others (plus be pronounced somewhat differently). Just like other examples it comes down to dialect. In casual speech I’d pronounce boor the same as bore and boar. I would pronounce Boer differently, however. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376/120 "2018-06-19T14:56:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Since this thread was last active, I did manage to find an example of the same spelling, with four different etymologies: Mole. It’s a small burrowing mammal, or a skin blemish, or a quantity of 6.02\*10^23 of something, or a Mexican sauce. Though I think the last of those is pronounced differently. [Also](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/mole): A massive structure, especially of stone, set up in the water, as for a breakwater or a pier. / An anchorage or harbor protected by such a structure. First recorded in 1540–50, mole is from the Latin word mōlēs mass, dam, mole A fleshy mass in the uterus formed by a hemorrhagic dead ovum. Latin mola, special use of mola millstone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-with-most-homophones/590376.md?page=7)