You know what it is homophony? Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Maybe you've never heard this word before, but know that homophony is one of the great “villains” of the Portuguese language. It is present in several situations, especially when we are faced with that cruel doubt when writing a word and we don't know exactly which letter to use.
To start our conversation, let's think: where did the word come from homophony?
The word homophony is formed from two Greek radicals: homo= equal, and phone= sound. It's easier now, as we already have a clue as to what we'll see ahead.
→homophony it is the phonetic equality between two words or between a word and an expression. In writing, homophone words have the same pronunciation, however, they have different spellings.
It is not always easy to differentiate between cases where we should use one letter and cases where we should use another, even more so when they sound the same. These differences are fundamentally governed by the history of words, so there are some rules that will help us in writing, making our doubts about the orthography. Watch carefully:
1- Graphical distinction between s, x and z:
We write with the following words:
train – right-handed – dexterity – dig – excuse – weird – exhaust – spectacle - spectator (who watches a show) – spontaneous - squeezing.
We write the following words with x:
context - spectator (one who is in expectation) - extension - explain - extinguisher - extraordinary - extract (thing extracted) - pretext - textual.
We write the following words with z:
atrociously - capable - happily - swiftly.
2- Graphical distinction between x and ch:
We write the following words with x:
storekeeper - witch - embassy - trousseau - dry - flood - migraine - cleaning - grease - lizard - stir - pull - relax - rinse - leave - sloppiness.
We write with ch the following words:
find - crouch - cheek - rubber - loophole - cartridge - doormat - dog - whim - farm - chimney - boring - cry - barbecue - hook - chip - arrow - ranch - stretch.
3- Graphical distinction between j and g:
We write with the following words:
adjective – cherry – tip – today – injection – jequitibá – manger – shopkeeper – majesty – subject – costume – gutter – reject.
We write the following words with g:
handcuffs – heyday – angelic – logic – monk – journey - passage – foreigner – contagion – courage – gums – rust – garage - gesture – clock – simple.
4- Graphical distinction between the letters s, ss, c, ç and x:
We write with the following words:
craving – pretension – tiring – ascent – sprinkling – skew.
We write with ss the following words:
abbess – harass – asseiceira – benesse – crasso – egress – canopy.
We write with the following words:
açafate – açorda – foolscap – cradle – youngest.
We write the following words with x:
help – syntax – next – maximum.
5- Graphical distinction between s end of word and x and z with identical phonic value:
We write with the following words:
turpentine - after - behind - gas - wanted - retro.
We write the following words with x:
chalice – Felix – phoenix – flow.
We write the following words with z:
ostrich - made - chalk - hue - ten - quite a lot.
6-Graphic distinction between the inner letters s, x and z, which represent sonorous sibilants:
We write with s:
lit – anesthesia – wing – beetle – ember – breeze – defense – firm – smooth – blackboard – research.
We write the following words with x:
exhale – example – display – exorbit – exuberant – inexact – inexorable.
We write the following words with z:
lavender – marine – authorize – bad luck – sour – beacon – bazaar – beauty – horn – slide.
As you can see for yourself, there are rules that govern homophone words and, although they are many, you can consult them when there is any doubt.
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters