homograph

From homo- +‎ -graph.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒməɡɹɑːf/, /ˈhəʊməɡɹæf/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːməɡɹæf/, /ˈhoʊməɡɹæf/

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homograph (plural homographs)

1. A word that is spelled the same as another word, usually having a different etymology, such as "bear", the animal, and "bear", to support, to tolerate, etc.

Homographs are a kind of homonym in the loose sense of that term, i.e. a word that is either a homophone (same sound) or a homograph (same spelling). (The strict sense of homonym is a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.) Specifically, homographs must have the same spelling, though they usually have different meanings and may be pronounced differently.

• The verb bear (“to carry”) and the noun bear (“large omnivorous mammal”) are homographs with the same pronunciation and different etymological origins.
• The verb alternate (“to go back and forth”) and the adjective alternate (“following by turns”) are homographs with different pronunciations but close etymological origins. Such homographs are also heteronyms.
• The verb meet (“to encounter”) and the noun meat (“food”) are not homographs since they have different spellings.

• homœograph
• homographic
• homography

An Euler diagram showing the relationship between these -nyms.

• polyphone