Which term describes words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings?

Which term describes words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings?

• A. Antonyms
• B. Homophones
• C. Homonyms
• D. Suffix

Answer: (B)

Words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings are called homophones. This concept focuses on how the words sound the same when spoken, even though their spellings and meanings differ. A classic example is knight and night: they rhyme and sound the same, but one refers to a medieval warrior (or a chess piece) and the other to the time of day, with different spellings. Antonyms describe opposite meanings, so they’re not about sound or spelling. Suffix is a word-ending part added to a base word, not a pair of words with the same sound. Homonyms can get a bit tricky, but they’re generally described as words that share either the same spelling or the same pronunciation with different meanings; the item here specifically highlights sound-alike pairs with different spellings and meanings, which is the idea captured by homophones.

Words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings are called homophones. This concept focuses on how the words sound the same when spoken, even though their spellings and meanings differ. A classic example is knight and night: they rhyme and sound the same, but one refers to a medieval warrior (or a chess piece) and the other to the time of day, with different spellings.

Antonyms describe opposite meanings, so they’re not about sound or spelling. Suffix is a word-ending part added to a base word, not a pair of words with the same sound. Homonyms can get a bit tricky, but they’re generally described as words that share either the same spelling or the same pronunciation with different meanings; the item here specifically highlights sound-alike pairs with different spellings and meanings, which is the idea captured by homophones.