Oronyms and Homophones

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Oronyms and Homophones

Oronyms and Homophones Iscream-1024x706

Oronyms (or homophones) are words which sound the same.Generally the word homophone is used to describe one of a pair or group of words that have the same sound (like prince and prints; allowed and aloud), whilst oronyms are normally strings of words (phrases) such as iced ink and I stink.

Psycholinguist Steven Pinker defines oronyms in his bestselling popular linguistics book The Language Instinct:

    [In speech] it is impossible to tell where one word ends and the next begins. The seamlessness of speech is... apparent in "oronyms," strings of sound that can be carved into words in two different ways:

        The good can decay many ways.
        The good candy came anyways.

        The stuffy nose can lead to problems.
        The stuff he knows can lead to problems.

        Some others I've seen.
        Some mothers I've seen.

    Some are discovered inadvertently by teachers reading their students' term papers and homework assignments:

        Jose can you see by the donzerly light?
        [Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light?]

        It's a doggy-dog world.
        [It's a dog-eat-dog world.]

        Eugene O'Neill won a Pullet Surprise.
        [Eugene O'Neill won a Pulitzer Prize.]

Here are some more phrases that sound the same:

    A politician's fate often hangs in a [delicate / delegate] balance.
    Any [grey day / grade A] would be bad news for one professor I know.
    I don't know how [mature / much your] people enjoy such a show.
    I have [known oceans / no notions] that you yourself couldn't imagine.
    If you listen you can hear the [night rain / night train].
    I'm taking [a nice / an ice] cold shower.
    Reading in the library is sometimes [allowed / aloud].
    That's the [biggest hurdle / biggest turtle] I've ever seen!
    [White shoes: / Why choose] the trademark of Pat Boone?
    You'd be surprised to see a [mint spy / mince pie] in your bank.

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Funny Oronyms
Some oronyms result in similar-sounding sentences that are quite funny. For example:
a nice
an ice
He took a nice cold shower after his date.
He took an ice cold shower after his date.
four candles
fork handles
My mom bought four candles at the store.
My mom bought fork handles at the store.
I scream
ice cream
He screams for I scream.
He screams for ice cream.
Jose
oh say
Jose, can you see?
Oh, say, can you see?
just uttered
just stuttered
Are you aware of the words you just uttered?
Are you aware of the words you just stuttered?
outstanding
out standing
The farmer was outstanding in her field.
The farmer was out standing in her field.
sixty sick students
sixty six students
The teacher had sixty sick students today.
The teacher had sixty six students today.
spice center
spy center
Do you know where the spice center is at?
Do you know where the spy center is at?
stuffy nose
stuff he knows
The stuffy nose can lead to problems.
The stuff he knows can lead to problems.
the sky
this guy
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
Excuse me while I kiss this guy.
tulips
two lips
The fire burnt her tulips.
The fire burnt her two lips.
Strange Oronyms
Other English oronyms create sentences that are sometimes strange. For example:
can decay many ways
candy came anyways
The good can decay many ways.
The good candy came anyways.
colitis goes by
kaleidoscope eyes
Somebody calls you; you answer quite slowly; a girl with colitis goes by.
Somebody calls you; you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes
egg sample
example
Would you like another egg sample?
Would you like another example?
euthanasia
youth in Asia
Some politicians support euthanasia.
Some politicians support youth in Asia.
her ear
her rear
She shrieked when a stranger pinched her ear.
She shrieked when a stranger pinched her rear.
night rate
nitrate
The suspicious men want the night rate.
The suspicious men want the nitrate.
oblivion
a Bolivian
The drunk man fell into oblivion.
The drunk man fell into a Bolivian.
plum pie
plump eye
The ogre hungrily devoured the plum pie.
The ogre hungrily devoured the plump eye.
toy Yoda
Toyota
The grand prize is a new toy Yoda.
The grand prize is a new Toyota.

The English language contains many word and phrases with similar pronunciations but different spellings and meanings. Learning the difference between oronyms is essential for understanding many jokes that use word play in English.