Robert Bridges - On English Homophones

Now it is variously estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 words is about the limit of an average educated man's talking vocabulary, and since the 1,600 are, the most of them, words which such a speaker will use (the reader can judge for himself) it follows that he has a foolishly imperfect and clumsy instrument.

As to what proportion 1,700 (say) may be to the full vocabulary of the language—it is difficult to estimate this because the dictionaries vary so much. The word homophone is not recognized by Johnson or by Richardson: Johnson under homo- has six derivatives of Herbert Spencer's favourite word homogeneous , but beside these only four other words with this Greek affix. Richardson's dictionary has an even smaller number of such entries. Jones has 11 entries of homo- , and these of only five words, but the Oxford dictionary, besides 50 words noted and quoted beginning with homo- , has 64 others with special articles.

Dr. Richard Morris estimated the number of words in an English dictionary as 100,000: Jones has 38,000 words, exclusive of proper names, and I am told that the Oxford dictionary will have over 300,000. Its 114 homo- words will show how this huge number is partly supplied.

Before the reader plunges into the list, I should wish to fortify his spirit against premature despair by telling him that in my tedious searching of the dictionary for these words I was myself cheered to find how many words there were which are not homophones.

This list, the object of which is to make the reader easily acquainted with the actual defect of the language in this particular, does not pretend to be complete or scientific; and in the identification of doubtful words the clue was dictated by brevity. s. , v. , and adj. mean substantive , verb , and adjective . The sections were made to aid the conspectus.

The main indictment is contained in sections i, ii, and iii. These three sections contain 505 entries, involving some 1,075 words.

The homophones in the other sections, iv, v, vi, vii, viii and ix, are generally of such a kind that they would not of themselves constitute a very peculiar case against the English language; but their addition to the main list does very much strengthen the case. One intention in isolating them from the main list was to prevent their contaminating it with their weaker quality; but their separate classification crosses and sometimes overrides that more general distinction. Section iv has some literary interest; vi is inconsistent; the other sections are more or less scientific. These six sections contain some 330 entries involving about 700 words, so that the total of words involved is about 1,775.

The order in this section is that of the phonetic alphabet.

arc, ark.

arm ( limb ), arm ( weapon ).

alms, arms.

aunt, ant, arn't.

arch ( s. ), arch ( adj. ).

eye, ay, I.

idol, idle, idyll.

aisle, isle, I'll.

eyelet, islet.

our, hour.

bark ( dog ), bark ( tree ), bark ( boat ).

balm, barm.

bite, bight.

buy, by, bye.

bough, bow, bow ( of ship ).

bound ( leap ), bound ( limit ), bound (fr. bind ).

bank ( ground ), bank ( money ).

barren, baron.

barrow ( hill ), barrow ( wheel-b. ).

bat ( club ), bat ( vespertilio ).

batter ( s. ), batter ( v. ).

buck ( various roots and senses ).

bustle ( hurry ), bustle ( dress ).

but, butt ( tub ), butt ( v. ).

bale ( ill ), bale ( pack ), bail ( bis ).

base, bass.

bate, bait.

beck ( and nod ), beck ( a brook ).

bell, belle.

bury, berry.

bear ( s. ), bare ( adj. ), bear, bare ( v. ).

berth, birth.

bee, be.

beat, beet.

beetle ( insect ), beetle ( hammer ).

beach, beech.

bier, beer.

blow ( a stroke ), blow ( of wind ).

bow, beau.

bogy, bogie.

bole, bowl.

bolt ( a weapon ), bolt ( sift ), bolt ( run ).

bore ( perforate ), bore ( tidal ), bore (fr. bear ), boar.

board, bawd, bored.

ball, bawl.

born, borne.

boy, buoy.

boil ( s. ), boil ( v. ).

box ( tree ), box ( receptacle ), box ( v. ).

bridal, bridle.

bray ( of donkey ), bray ( to pound ), brae.

break, brake ( fern ), brake ( of carriages, bis ).

braze ( to solder ), braze ( to brazen ), braise ( to stew ), braes.

breach, breech.

breeze ( the wind ), breeze ( a fly ), breeze ( cinders ).

broach, brooch.

hue, hew.

die ( v. ), dye, die ( cast ).

down ( dune ), down ( fluff ), down ( adv. ).

doubt, dout.

dam ( mother ), dam ( obstruct ), damn.

duck ( bird ), duck ( dear ), duck ( stuff ), duck ( v. ).

dun ( colour ), dun ( importune ), done.

date ( fruit ), date ( datum ).

dean, dene.

deer, dear.

desert, dessert.

due, dew.

doe, dough.

dock ( plant ), dock ( basin ), dock ( shear ).

drill ( sow ), drill ( bore ), drill ( training ).

drupe, droop.

jar ( vase ), jar ( discord ).

jamb, jam.

jet ( mineral ), jet ( squirt ).

gin ( drink ), gin ( snare ), jinn.

there, their.

the, thee.

eh! aye ( ever ).

ale, ail.

eight, ait or eyot, ate (fr. eat ).

egg, egg ( to incite ).

elder ( tree ), elder ( senior ).

air, heir, ere, e'er.

airship, heirship.

aery, airy.

earn, urn, erne ( eagle ).

alight ( adj. ), alight ( v. ).

ascent, assent.

foul, fowl.

fallow ( untilled ), fallow ( colour ).

fane, feign, fain.

faint, feint.

fast ( eccl. ), fast ( adj. various ).

fate, fête.

fell ( fierce ), fell ( skin ), fell ( hill ), fell (fr. fall ).

fellow, felloe.

ferule, ferrule.

fair, fare [ doublet ], phare.

fir, fur.

feet, feat ( s. ), feat ( adj. obs. ).

filter, philtre.

fit ( befit ), fit ( conflict ), fytte [ obs. ].

flag ( v. ), flag ( ensign ), flag ( plant ), flag ( -stone ).

flee, flea.

flow, floe.

flock ( herd ), flock ( of wool ).

flue ( chimney ), flue ( velu ), flew (fr. fly ).

fluke ( fish ), fluke ( of anchor ), fluke ( slang word ).

fold ( wrap ), fold ( of sheep ), foaled.

four, fore, for.

forego, forgo, and other compounds.

fourth, forth.

foil ( s. ), foil ( v. ), foil ( fencer's ).

fray ( ravel ), fray ( combat ).

fret ( eat away ), fret ( adorn ), fret ( on lute ).

freeze, frieze ( archt. ), frieze ( cloth ), frees (fr. free ).