heteronym

het·er·o·nym  (htr--nm)

n.

One of two or more words that have identical spellings but different meanings and pronunciations, such as row (a series of objects arranged in a line), pronounced (r), and row (a fight), pronounced (rou).

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[Back-formation from heteronymous.]

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heteronym [ˈhɛtərəʊˌnɪm]

n

(Linguistics) one of two or more words pronounced differently but spelt alike the two English words spelt ``bow'' are heteronyms Compare homograph

[from Late Greek heteronumos, from Greek hetero- + onoma name]

heteronymous  [ˌhɛtəˈrɒnɪməs] adj

heteronymously  adv

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

heteronym - two words are heteronyms if they are spelled the same way but differ in pronunciation; "the word `bow' is an example of a heteronym" word - a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he hardly said ten words all morning"