English has many homographs—words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently depending on their meaning. These can be particularly confusing for Spanish speakers since Spanish spelling is much more consistent. Let's master the most common homographs.
What Are Homographs?
Homographs (from Greek: "same writing") are words with identical spelling but different pronunciations and meanings. The pronunciation depends entirely on context—you need to understand the sentence to know how to say the word.
Read vs Read
One of the most common homographs:
Tip: Present tense rhymes with "need," past tense rhymes with "bed."
Lead vs Lead
Tip: The verb rhymes with "need," the metal rhymes with "bed."
Tear vs Tear
Tip: Ripping rhymes with "bear," crying rhymes with "here."
Wind vs Wind
Tip: Air rhymes with "pinned," turning rhymes with "find."
Live vs Live
Tip: Verb rhymes with "give," adjective rhymes with "five."
Bow vs Bow
Tip: Bending rhymes with "cow," ribbon rhymes with "go."
Row vs Row
Close vs Close
Tip: Verb has a /z/ sound, adjective has an /s/ sound.
Use vs Use
Tip: Verb ends in /z/, noun ends in /s/.
Record vs Record
Tip: Verb stress on second syllable, noun stress on first.
Object vs Object
Present vs Present
The Noun/Verb Stress Pattern
Many two-syllable homographs follow this pattern:
- Noun: Stress on FIRST syllable (RE-cord, OB-ject, PRE-sent)
- Verb: Stress on SECOND syllable (re-CORD, ob-JECT, pre-SENT)
More examples following this pattern:
| Word | Noun (1st syllable) | Verb (2nd syllable) |
|---|---|---|
| permit | PER-mit /ˈpɜːrmɪt/ | per-MIT /pərˈmɪt/ |
| produce | PRO-duce /ˈproʊduːs/ | pro-DUCE /prəˈduːs/ |
| project | PRO-ject /ˈprɑːdʒekt/ | pro-JECT /prəˈdʒekt/ |
| rebel | RE-bel /ˈrebəl/ | re-BEL /rɪˈbel/ |
| refuse | RE-fuse /ˈrefjuːs/ | re-FUSE /rɪˈfjuːz/ |
| conduct | CON-duct /ˈkɑːndʌkt/ | con-DUCT /kənˈdʌkt/ |
Practice Sentences
Read these sentences, paying attention to context to determine pronunciation:
- "I read (/riːd/) the news. Yesterday I read (/red/) a great article."
- "The wind (/wɪnd/) will wind (/waɪnd/) through the valley."
- "She will present (/prɪˈzent/) the present (/ˈprezənt/)."
- "Don't tear (/ter/) the letter—it brought a tear (/tɪr/) to my eye."