The words homograph, homogram, homophone, homonym, and heteronym are frequently confused, sometimes even by permissive dictionaries eager to reflect common usage rather than proper meaning. Homograph and homogram, which are synonyms, refer to words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning, derivation, or pronunication. Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, derivation, or spelling. Homonyms are words that are both homographs and homophones: words that are spelled and pronounced the same but differ in meaning or derivation.

Heteronyms are a type of homograph. They are words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning and pronunciation. All heteronyms are also homographs, but not all homographs are heteronyms. Many heteronyms are similar in meaning (especially a related noun and verb are spelled the same but pronounced differently), while others are wholly unrelated.

Here is a list of some of the most common heteronyms in the English language:

• affect - (ah-FECT) to change; (AF-fect) feeling or emotion
• alternate - (ALT-er-nit) another choice; (ALT-er-NAIT) switch back and forth
• appropriate - (ap-PROPE-ri-ATE) to take possession of; (ap-PROPE-ri-it) suitable
• are - (AIR) 100 square meters (a hundredth of a hectare); (AHR) plural present tense of "to be"
• arithmetic - (a-RITH-me-tic) a branch of mathematics; (AIR-ith-MET-ic) characteristic of arithmetic
• attribute - (at-TRIB-ute) to ascribe; (AT-trib-ute) characteristic
• axes - (AX-ez) plural of axe; (AX-eez) plural of axis
• bass - (BASE) a stringed instrument; (BASS) a fish
• bow - (rhymes with "how") to incline the head in greeting; also, front of a ship; (rhymes with "tow") weapon that shoots arrows
• bowed - (rhymes with "how'd") inclined the head in greeting; (rhymes with "towed") bent
• buffet - (BUF-fet) to hit; (buf-FAY, boof-FAY) a meal at which guests serve themselves from dishes on display
• close - (CLOZE) to shut; (CLOHSS) nearby
• combine - (COM-bine) threshing machine; (com-BINE) put together
• conduct - (CON-duct) behavior; (con-DUCT) to direct or manage
• conflict - (CON-flict) disagreement or fight; (con-FLICT) to be in opposition
• console - (CON-sole) upright case; also, computer terminal; (con-SOLE) to comfort
• consort - (CON-sort) companiobn or partner; (con-SORT) to keep company
• construct - (CON-struct) something constructed; (con-STRUCT) to assemble
• content - (CON-tent) substantive part; (con-TENT) satisfied
• contest - (CON-test) competition; (con-TEST) to dispute
• contract - (CON-tract) agreement; (con-TRACT) to shrink or to agree on a project
• convert - (CON-vert) one whose belief was changed; (con-VERT) to change one's belief
• converse - (CON-verse) opposite; (con-VERSE) to talk
• convict - (CON-vict) prisoner; (con-VICT) to find guilty
• crooked - (CROOKD) bended; (CROOK-ed) bent
• deliberate - (de-LIB-er-ate) carefully considered; (de-lib-er-ATE) to consider
• desert - (DES-ert) arid region; (de-SERT) to leave; also, something deserved
• digest - (DIE-jest) collection of published material; (die-JEST) absorb nutrients
• do - (DOO) to accomplish; (DOE) musical note
• does - (DUZ) performs; (DOZE) multiple female deer
• dove - (rhymes with "love") a bird; (rhymes with "hove") jumped off
• drawer - (DROR) compartment that is opened by pulling out; (DRAW-er) one who draws
• ellipses - (ee-LIP-sez) plural of ellipse; (ee-LIP-seez) plural of ellipsis
• entrance - (EN-trance) entry way; (en-TRANCE) to captivate
• evening - (EVE-ning) the time of day between afternoon and night; (EVE-en-ing) making even
• excuse - (EX-cuze) to let someone off; (ex-KYEWSS) justifying explanation
• house - (HOWSS) building that serves as living quarters; (HOWZ) to provide with living quarters
• incense - (IN-cense) substance that produces a pleasant aroma when burned; (in-CENSE) to anger
• intern - (IN-tern) a worker in training; (in-TERN) confine to a prescribed area
• invalid - (IN-val-id) someone who is sick or disabled; (in-VAL-id) not valid
• laminate - (LAM-in-it) a layered construct; (LAM-in-ATE) to construct by layering
• lather - (hard "th") foam or suds; (soft "th") one who installs lath (lattice)
• lead - (LEED) to guide; (LED) a metallic element
• minute - (MIN-it) sixty seconds; (my-NOOT) tiny
• moderate - (MOD-er-it) not excessive or extreme; (mod-er-ATE) to preside over
• mow - (rhymes with "cow") pile of hay stored in a barn; (rhymes with "tow") to cut grass
• multiply - (MULT-i-PLY) to perform the mathematical operation of multiplication on; (MULT-i-plee) in a multiple manner
• number - (NUM-ber) a discrete value or quantity; (NUM-mer) more numb
• nun - (NUN) women in a religious order; (NOON) the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
• object - (OB-ject) thing; (ob-JECT) to protest
• overhead - (OVE-er-head) operating expenses; also, an overhead projector; (ov-er-HEAD) high; above the level of the head
• pasty - (PAY-stee) like glue; (PASS-tee) meat pie
• pate - (PATE) top of the head; (PAT) porcelain paste; (pa-TAY) a minced food
• perfect - (PER-fect) flawless; (per-FECT) to make flawless
• periodic - (PEER-ee-ODD-ic) occasional; (PURE-eye-ODD-ic) an iodine compound
• permit - (PER-mit) document giving permission; (per-MIT) to allow
• present - (PREZ-ent) gift; (pre-ZENT) to introduce
• primer - (PRIHM-er) elementary book; (PRY-mer) undercoat of paint
• produce - (PRO-duce) vegetables; (pro-DUCE) bring forth
• project - (PRO-ject) task; (pro-JECT) to forecast; also, to show a movie
• protest - (PRO-test) an objection; (pro-TEST) to object
• pussy - (PUHS-ee) having pus; (POOH-see) kitten
• raven - (RAY-ven) a black bird; (RAV-en) hungry
• rebel - (REB-el) one who refuses allegiance or opposes (re-BEL) to refuse allegiance or oppose
• record - (REC-ord) a documented account; (re-CORD) to set down to preserve
• recreation - (REC-ree-A-shun) entertaining or relaxing pastime; (REE-cree-A-shun) something that is remade, recreated
• refuse - (REF-yoos) garbage; (ref-YOOZ) to deny
• relay - (REE-lay) a race in which members of a team take turns racing; (ree-LAY) to lay again; (rih-LAY) to pass along
• repeat - (RE-peat) repeated television show; (re-PEAT) to perform again
• rerun - (RE-run) repeated television show; (re-RUN) to run again
• resign - (re-ZINE) to quit; (re-SIGN) to sign again
• resume - (ree-ZOOM) to restart; (REH-zoom-ay) document of professional experience
• row - (rhymes with "cow") a fight; (rhymes with "tow") a series of objects; also, to propel a boat with oars
• sake - (SAKE) purpose; (SAH-kee) alcoholic drink
• secreted - (SEE-cret-ed) placed out of sight; (see-CREET-ed) emitted
• separate - (SEP-ar-ATE) to set apart; (SEP-ret) not joined together
• sewer - (SOE-wer) one who sews; (SOO-wer) channel for human waste
• slough - (rhymes with "tough") outer layer or covering that is shed; (rhymes with "cow") a hole filled with deep mud or mire; (rhymes with "through") a marsh
• sow - (rhymes with "cow") a pig; (rhymes with "tow") to plant seed
• subject - (SUB-ject) the theme; also, one ruled by another; (sub-JECT) to force upon
• suspect - (SUS-pect) one suspected of a crime; (sus-PECT) to have suspicion
• tear - (TARE) to rip; (TEER) a drop of the clear liquid emitted by the eye
• unionized - (YOON-yon-ized) belonging to a union; (un-I-on-ized) not converted into ions
• wind - (rhymes with "find") to coil up; (WINNED) moving air
• wound - (WOOND) to injure; (WOWND) coiled up

Sometimes a word changes meaning and pronunciation based on whether the first letter is capitalized or not. Since the only difference in the way the words are written is capitalization, these words are also heteronyms:

• Ares - (AIRS, lower case) multiple units of 100 square meters; (AIR-eez, capitalized) the Greek god of war
• August - (au-GUST, lower case) important; (AU-gust, capitalized) the eighth month of the year
• Embarrass - (em-BAR-rass, lower case) mortify; (AUM-bro, capitalized) a river in eastern Illinois
• Ewe - (YOO, lower case) a female sheep; (AY-way, capitalized) a member of a people inhabiting southeast Ghana, southern Togo, and southern Benin.
• Job - (JOBB, lower case) task or position of employment; (JOBE, capitalized) the author of one of the books of the Bible
• Lima - (LIE-ma, lower case) a type of bean; (LEE-ma, capitalized) the capital of Peru
• Magdalen - (MAG-da-len, lower case) a reformed prostitute; (MAUD-len) a college in Oxford
• Male - (MAIL, lower case) of, relating to, or designating the sex that has organs to produce spermatozoa for fertilizing ova; (MAH-lee, capitalized) the capital of the Maldives
• Natal - (NATE-al, lower case) relating to one's birth; (na-TAHL, capitalized) a region of southeast Africa; also, a city in northeast Brazil
• Nice - (NICE, lower case) pleasant; (NEECE, capitalized) a city in France
• Polish - (PALL-ish, lower case) shine; (POE-lish, capitalized) from Poland
• Rainier - (RANE-ee-er, lower case) more rainy; (ray-NEER, capitalized) a volcanic peak in Washington
• Reading - (REED-ing, lower case) observing and comprehending written words; (RED-ing, capitalized) a borough in south-central England
• Worms - (WERMS, lower case) plural of worm; (VORMS, capitalized) a city in southwest Germany