Appendix:Dialect-dependent homophones

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Homophones are words that have the same sound but different meanings (and may or may not have different spellings). This list consists exclusively of homophones that have a different spelling.

Many pairs of English words which have either gained or lost their homophony through phonemic splits and mergers. Where the split or merger is not complete throughout the language this can lead to a situation where a pair of words are homophones in one dialect but not so in another.

This is a list of sets of words which are homophonous in some dialects of English but not others. For other sets of homophones see the List of dialect-independent homophones.

Contents

[edit] General vowel splits and mergers

[edit] Trap-bath split

Note:
The following may be homophones in dialects without the trap-bath split.
ant/aunt (/ænt, ɑːnt/)
ass (donkey) / ass (buttocks) (/æs, ɑːs/)
cant/can't (/kænt, kɑːnt/)
have/halve (/hæv, hɑːv/)
massed/mast (/mæst, mɑːst/)

[edit] Bad-lad split

Note:
The following are not homophones in dialects with the bad-lad split.
an/Ann (/æn, æːn/)
can (be able to)/can (container) (/kæn, kæːn/)
span (spin)/span (space) (/spæn, spæːn/)
ran/Wran (/ræn, ræːn/)

[edit] Phonemic æ-tensing

Note:
The following are not homophones in dialects with the phonemic æ-tensing.
can (be able to)/can (container) (/kæn, keən/)
have/halve (/hæv, heəv/)

[edit] Cot-caught and father-bother mergers

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the cot-caught merger.
odd/awed (/ɒd, ɔːd/)
sod/sawed (/sɒd, sɔːd/)
chock/chalk (/tʃɒk, tʃɔːk/)
cock/calk/caulk (/kɒk, kɔːk/)
hock/hawk (/hɒk, hɔːk/)
stock/stalk (/stɒk, stɔːk/)
pol/pall/Paul (/pɒl, pɔːl/)
on/awn (/ɒn, ɔːn/)
fond/fawned (/fɒnd, fɔːnd/)
cot/caught (/kɒt, kɔːt/)
knot/not/naught/nought (/nɒt, nɔːt/)
rot/wrought (/rɒt, rɔːt/)
tot/taught/taut (/tɒt, tɔːt/)
dotter/daughter (/dɒt.ɘr, dɔː.tɘr/)
Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the father-bother merger.
balm/bomb (/bɑːm, bɒm/)
palm/Pom (/pɑːm, pɒm/)
Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the both the cot-caught and the father-bother mergers.
paw/pa (/pɔː, pɑː/)
balk/Bach (/bɔːx, bɑːk/)

[edit] Mergers before historic r

[edit] Mary-merry-marry merger

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the mary-merry-marry merger.
Mary/merry/marry (/'mɛɘ.ri/, /'mɛr.i/, /'mær.i/)
fairy/faery/ferry (/'fɛɘ.ri/, /'fer.i/)
berry/bury/Barry (/'bɛr.i/, /'bær.i/)
vary/very (/'vɛɘ.ri/, /'vɛr.i/)

[edit] Mirror-nearer merger

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the mirror-nearer merger.
serious/Sirius (/'sɪɘ.riˌəs/, /'sɪ.riˌəs/)

[edit] Horse-hoarse merger

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the horse-hoarse merger.
Sound: (/ɔːr, ɔər/)
for/fore/four/4 (/'fɔːr, 'fɔər/)
forward/foreword (/'fɔːr.wərd, 'fɔər.wərd/)
oar/or/ore/o'er (/'ɔːr, 'ɔər/)
war/wore (/'wɔːr, 'wɔər/)
Sound: (/ɔːrd, ɔərd/)
sword/soared (/'sɔːrd, 'sɔərd/)
chord/cord/cored (/'kɔːrd, 'kɔərd/)
Sound: (/ɔːrs, ɔərs/)
hoarse/horse (/'hɔːrs, 'hɔərs/)
Sound: (/ɔːrθ, ɔərθ/)
forth/fourth (/'fɔːrθ, 'fɔərθ/)
Sound: (/ɔːrn, ɔərn/)
born/borne (/'bɔːrn, 'bɔərn/)
morn/mourn (/'mɔːrn, 'mɔərn/)
See also:
Non-rhotic homophones

[edit] Wine-whine merger

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with the wine-whine merger.
way/weigh/whey (/weɪ, ʍeɪ/)
wale/wail/whale (/weɪl, ʍeɪl/)
Wales/wails/whales (/weɪlz, ʍeɪlz/)
wear/ware/weir/where (/wɛɘr, ɛɘr/)
weal/we'll/wheal/wheel (/wiːl, ʍiːl/)
weald/wield/wheeled (/wiːld, ʍiːld/)
wye/Y/why (/waɪ, ʍaɪ/)
wide/why'd (/waɪd, ʍaɪd/)
wile/while (/waɪl, ʍaɪl/)
wild/wiled/whiled (/waɪld, ʍaɪld/)
wind/wined/wynd/whined (/waɪnd, ʍaɪnd/)
wire/why're (/waɪər, waɪr, ʍaɪ.ər/)
wise/Y's/whys/why's (/waɪz, ʍaɪz/)
woe/whoa (/wəʊ, ʍəʊ/)
weather/wether/whether (/wɛ.ðər, ʍɛ.ðər/)
wet/whet (/wɛt, ʍɛt/)
word/whirred (/wɜːrd, ʍɜːrd/)
world/whirled/whorled (/wɜːrld, ʍɜːrld/)
witch/which (/wɪtʃ, ʍɪtʃ/)
whit/wit (/wɪt, ʍɪt/)

[edit] H-dropping

Note:
The following are homophones in dialects with h-dropping
arm/harm (/ɑːrm, hɑːrm/)
art/heart (/ɑːrt, hɑːrt/)
eat/heat (/iːt, hiːt/)
at/hat (/æt, hæt/)
air/hair (/ɛɘr, hɛɘr/)
and/hand (/ænd, hænd/)
old/hold (/ɘʊld, hɘʊld/)
oaks/hoax (/ɘʊks, hɘʊks/)

[edit] Yod-dropping and coalescence

Yod-coalescence
dew/due/Jew (/'dʒuː/)
dual/duel/jewel (/dʒuː.əl/)
dune/June (/'dʒuːn/)
deuce/juice (/'dʒuːs/)
duke/juke (/'dʒuːk/)
Yod-dropping
The following are homophones in most dialects of English.
threw/(through/thru) (/'θruː/)
brood/brewed (/'bruːd/)
rood/rude/rued (/'ruːd/)
droop/drupe (/'druːp/)
lieu/loo/Lou (/'luː/)
lune/loon (/'luːn/)
lute/loot (/'luːt/)
flew/flue/flu (/'fluː/)
slue/slew/slough (/sluː/)
gloom/glume (/'gluːm/)
choose/chews (/'tʃuːz/)
chute/shoot (/'ʃuːt/)
suit/soot (/'suːt/)
The following are homophones in General American English.
dew/due/do (/'duː/)
undo/undue (/ʌn.'du/)
dude/dewed (/'duːd/)
knew/gnu/new/[nu] (/'nuː/)
The following are homophones in some East Anglian accents.
pure/poor (/'pʊɘr/)
beauty/booty (/'buː.ti/)
mute/moot (/'muːt/)
cute/coot (/'kuːt/)

[edit] Th

[edit] Th-fronting

The following words are homophonous when th-fronted

Note: The word(s) containing the /f/ or /v/ is mentioned first, with the word(s) containing the /θ/ or /ð/ following.
beef/Beith
caff/Cath
clove/clothe
deaf/death
fresher/thresher
freshers/threshers
firm/therm
firms/therms
first/thirst
firsts/thirsts
foal/thole
foals/tholes
fie/thigh
feign/thane
feigns/thanes
feoff/thief
fervor/further
Finn/thin
fuse/thews
faugh/for/thaw
ford/thawed
faun/thorn
fauns/thorns
fort/fought/thought
forts/thoughts
fours/thaws
fin/thin
Fred/thread
fresh/thresh
fret/threat
frets/threats
free/three
frill/thrill
frilled/thrilled
frills/thrills
fro/throw
froze/throes
fug/thug
fugs/thugs
half/hearth
infuse/enthuse
infused/enthused
infusing/enthusing
infuses/enthuses
laugh/lath
lave/lathe
leafy/Lethe
live/lithe
loaf/loath
never/nether
oaf/oath
rave/rathe
reef/wreath
roof/Ruth
sheaf/sheath
sliver/slither
suave/swathe
whiff/withe
whiffs/withes

[edit] Th-alveolarization

The following words are homophonous when th-alveolarized (/θ/ becomes /s/, and /ð/ becomes /z/)

Note: The word(s) containing the /s/ or /z/ is listed first, with the word(s) containing the /θ/ or /ð/ following.
ace/eighth
bays/bathe
breathe/breeze
close/clothe/clothes
faith/face
force/fourth
gross/growth
lays/lathe
maths/math/mass
mouse/mouth
moss/moth
myth/miss
north/Norse
pass/path
sank/thank
sour/saw/thaw
sours/saws/thaws
seem/theme
seems/themes
sick/thick
sink/think
sinks/thinks
sinking/thinking
sing/thing
sings/things
sin/thin
song/thong
songs/thongs
sore/thaw
sores/thaws
soared/thawed
soaring/thawing
sort/sought/thought
sorts/thoughts
sues/soothe
sword/sawed/thawed
tense/tenth
worth/worse
zen/then
zees/these

[edit] Th-debuccalisation

Note:
For Scottish English speakers with th-debuccalisation, the following pairs are homophonous.
hatch/thatch
hatches/thatches
Hank/thank
haw/thaw
haws/thaws
herd/third
herds/thirds
hick/thick
Hurst/thirst
hin/thin
heard/third
Hank's/thanks
hug/thug
hugs/thugs
hod/thawed
hi/hie/high/thigh
highs/thighs
Haines/thanes

[edit] Th-stopping

Note:
In Caribbean accents that merge /θ, ð/ with /t, d/ the following words are homophonous.
den/then
day/they
dare/there
Dan/than
dine/thine
dhow/thou
dis/this
breed/breathe
breeds/breathes
wrythe/ride
wrythes/rides
read/wreathe
reads/wreathes
reed/wreathe
reeds/wreathes
their/there/they're/dare
other/udder
bathe/bayed
thank/tank
thin/tin
three/tree
third/turd
thirds/turds
thrash/trash
thanks/tanks
thinker/Tinker
myth/mitt
toot/tooth
taught/thought
meth/met
tenth/tent
maths/mats
derth/dirt
hearth/heart
birth/Bert
path/part
bath/Bart
nothing/nutting
mother/mudder
mothers/mudders

[edit] Non-rhotic homophones

arms/alms
airier/area
aren't/aunt (/ɑːrnt, ɑːnt/)
bittern/bitten
court/caught
core/corps/caw
drawers/draws
far/fah
farther/father
floor/flaw
fort/fought
formerly/formally ('fɔːr.mər.li/, fɔːr.mə.li/)
hoar/whore/haw
larva/lava (/'lɑːr.və, 'lɑː.və/)
lore/law
manner/manna
miner/minor/mynah
more/maw
oar/or/ore/o'er/awe (/ɔːr, ɔər, ɔː/)
pattern/paten/patten
porn/pawn
pores/pours/pause/paws (/pɔːrz, pɔərz, pɔːz/)
poor/pore/pour/paw (/pɔːr, pɔər, pɔː/)
roar/raw
rort/wrought
rotor/rota
soar/sore/saw (/sɔːr, sɔər, sɔː/)
sort/sought
source/sauce
spar/spa
stork/stalk
torque/talk
tort/taught/taut
yore/your/you're/yaw
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Dialect-dependent_homophones"
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