Multiple Pronunciations
October 17, 2004 2:31 PM   Subscribe

Is there a term to describe instances where a word has a single spelling, but multiple pronunciations based upon the definition needed? Some examples: wound, bass, read, etc.

if not, then I want to be the first to coin the term. I hereby name this phenomenon I may or may not have discovered: technodromes!
posted by mcsweetie to Writing & Language (6 answers total)
 
Homograph.
posted by Aaorn at 2:37 PM on October 17, 2004


Heteronym
posted by grumblebee at 2:40 PM on October 17, 2004


Response by poster: dang it! well, thanks anyway.
posted by mcsweetie at 3:57 PM on October 17, 2004


How about homo-hetero-dromes?!
posted by davidmsc at 4:08 PM on October 17, 2004


Response by poster: that fun-with-words site site is pretty interesting! check out autoantonyms.
posted by mcsweetie at 4:24 PM on October 17, 2004


There is a word, as you see above.. but if I were making one up on the spot, I'd go with polyphones. However, polyphone means a letter with more than one sound.
posted by wackybrit at 4:44 PM on October 17, 2004


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