Paronyms: are words that have different meanings although they are similar in spelling or pronunciation.
“Story” is the old spelling of “history” and these words have different meanings. When we say that someone has told us a story, we are referring to a romanticized exposition of imaginary facts, narratives, tales or fables; on the other hand, when we say that we have proof of history, we are referring to historical data, which are based on documents or witnesses.
Both words appear in the Orthographic Vocabulary of the Portuguese Language of the Academia Brasileira de Letras. However, currently, according to the New Aurélio Dictionary of the Portuguese Language, it is recommended to use the spelling “history” to name both meanings.
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Another examples:
Flagrant (evident) / fragrant (fragrant)
Warrant (court order) / mandate (power of attorney)
Inflation (high prices) / infringement (violation)
Eminent (elevated) / imminent (about to occur)
Put on (putting on a harness) / put on (down, fall)
Homonyms: these are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings.
Light up (set fire) / light up (up)
Stratum (layer) / extract (what is extracted from)
Tripe (stomach) / boxwood (bush)
Spy (observe) / expiate (repair fault by serving a sentence)
Tackle (assign defect to) / rate (set rate)
By Marina Cabral
Specialist in Portuguese Language and Literature
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Marina Cabral da. "Paronyms and Homonyms"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/paronimos-homonimos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
