Appendix:English dialect-dependent homophones

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.

General vowel splits and mergers

Foot-strut split

The following may be homophones in dialects without the foot-strut split. In the northern half of England and some eastern areas of Ireland, these pairs have the /ʊ/ vowel and there is no /ʌ/ phoneme. (However, many of the -ook words have the GOOSE vowel in northern England and parts of Ireland, and so remain distinct).

book/buck (/bʊk, bʌk/)

crooks/crux (/krʊks, krʌks/)

look/luck (/lʊk, lʌk/)

put/putt (/pʊt, pʌt/)

took/tuck (/tʊk, tʌk/)

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/)

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/)

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/)

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.ər, dɔː.tər/)

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 (/bɔːk, bɑːx/)

Mergers before historic r

Mary-merry-marry merger

Note:

The following are homophones in dialects with the mary-merry-marry merger.

Mary/merry/marry (/'mɛə.ri/, /'mɛr.i/, /'mær.i/)

fairy/faery/ferry (/'fɛə.ri/, /'fer.i/)

berry/bury/Barry (/'bɛr.i/, /'bær.i/)

vary/very (/'vɛə.ri/, /'vɛr.i/)

Mirror-nearer merger

Note:

The following are homophones in dialects with the mirror-nearer merger.

serious/Sirius (/'sɪə.riˌəs/, /'sɪ.riˌəs/)

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/)

horse/hoarse (/'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

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 (/wɛər, ɛər/)

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/)

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 (/ɛər, hɛər/)

and/hand (/ænd, hænd/)

old/hold (/əʊld, həʊld/)

oaks/hoax (/əʊks, həʊks/)

ate/eight/hate (/eɪt, heɪt/)

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/)

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 (/'pʊə/)

beauty/booty (/'buː.ti/)

mute/moot (/'muːt/)

cute/coot (/'kuːt/)

Th

Th-fronting

The following words are homophonous when th-fronted. Words marked with an asterisk (*) are homophonous only in a non-rhotic accent.

Note: The word(s) containing the /f/ or /v/ is mentioned first, with the word(s) containing the /θ/ or /ð/ following.

Aoife/ether*

barf*/bath

beef/Beith

breve/breathe

café/Cathay

caff/Cath

clove/clothe

deaf/death

F/eth

faugh/for*/four*/thaw

faun/fawn/thorn*

feign/fain/thane

feoff/fief/thief

fervor/further

few/thew

fie/thigh

fill/thill

fin/Finn/thin

firm/therm

first/thirst

foal/thole

ford*/thawed

fort*/fought/thought

Fred/thread

free/three

fresh/thresh

fresher/thresher

fret/threat

frill/thrill

fro/throw

froze/throes

fug/thug

fuse/thews

half/hearth*

infuse/enthuse

laugh/lath

lava/lather*

lave/lathe

leafy/Lethe

live/lithe

loaf/loath

never/nether

oaf/oath

rave/rathe

reef/wreath

reive/wreathe

rive/writhe

roof/Ruth

sheaf/sheath

sliver/slither

V/thee

vat/that

vie/thy

vine/thine

vow/thou

whiff/withe

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

Th-debuccalisation

Note:

For Scottish English speakers with th-debuccalisation, the following pairs are homophonous.

Haines/thanes

hank/thank

hatch/thatch

hatches/thatches

haw/thaw

heard/third

herd/third

hi/hie/high/thigh

hick/thick

hin/thin

hod/thawed

hug/thug

Hurst/thirst

Th-stopping

In some Caribbean and Irish accents that merge /θ, ð/ with /t, d/ the following words are homophonous.

Bart/bath

bayed/bathe

Bert/birth

breed/breathe

Dan/than

dare/their/there/they're

dare/there

day/they

den/then

dhow/thou

dine/thine

dirt/derth

diss/this

heart/hearth

mats/maths

met/meth

mitt/myth

mudder/mother

nutting/nothing

part/path

read/reed/wreathe

ride/wrythe

tank/thank

taught/thought

tent/tenth

tin/thin

tinker/thinker

toot/tooth

trash/thrash

tree/three

turd/third

udder/other

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/)

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/yaw