Heteronyms are words which are spelt the same but pronounced differently. English has many examples. Here are ten heteronyms:
bass
bow
close
lead
minute
separate
sow
tear
wind
wound
Nine of the words vary in the pronunciation of the vowel. In the case of minute, the stress is also different. The unit of time has first-syllable stress and the adjective has second-syllable. The verb close is pronounced with a word-final /z/, but the adjective is pronounced with /s/.
English heteronyms are words which share the same spelling but have different pronunciation. They are different from homonyms, words which have the same pronunciation but different spelling. English heteronyms reflect the irregularity of English spelling.
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