What term describes a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different spelling and meaning?

• A. Homophone
• B. Homograph
• C. Synonym
• D. Antonym

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is distinguishing words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. A word that sounds like another but is spelled differently and has a different meaning is called a homophone. Knight and night are a classic example: they sound the same, but one means a medieval warrior and the other refers to the time of day, and they are spelled differently.

For comparison, a homograph is spelled the same but can have different meanings (and sometimes different pronunciations), such as lead (to go in front) versus lead (a metal). A synonym is a different word with a similar meaning, like bright and smart. An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning, such as hot and cold. Therefore, the term that fits the description is homophone.