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Challenges

Comments on Non-transitive homophone challenge

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Non-transitive homophone challenge

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Definition

A homophone is a word that sounds identical to another word. For example, "rye" and "wry" have identical pronunciation.

Let's define a non-transitive homophone to be a word that can be pronounced identically to two other words, even though those two other words cannot be pronounced the same as each other.

Challenge

For this challenge, post an answer describing the non-transitive homophone that you have found, perhaps in the following format:

The word "B" is a non-transitive homophone:

  • The word "A" can be pronounced the same as the word "B".
  • The word "B" can be pronounced the same as the word "C".
  • The word "A" cannot be pronounced the same as the word "C".

Scoring

For each answer, your score is the number of letters in your non-transitive homophone. The two other words do not count towards your score. For example, if your non-transitive homophone has 3 letters, and its two differently pronounced homophones each have 4 letters, you score 3 points, not 4. In the example format above, the word "B" is the one used for scoring (the one that can be pronounced like either of the others).

Multiple answers

If you find more than one non-transitive homophone, please post each in a separate answer so they can be sorted by age or votes. Each of your answers will count towards your total score.

Subjective pronunciation

I understand that variation in pronunciation across regions can cause some words to be pronounced identically that are not pronounced identically everywhere. Assessing which answers are valid will therefore be unavoidably subjective.

For this reason I'm unlikely to object to an answer unless it seems deliberately incorrect, but I'll maintain a leaderboard here in the question that includes those answers I personally happen to agree with. I won't be taking this too seriously though - the main point is to have fun.

Leaderboard

Username Non-transitive homophones Total score

Bentley Carpenter‭

Root Rout Wrote (4)

Are Our Hour (3)

Beaux Bow Bough (3)

10
History

1 comment thread

Interesting idea -- do you know of any cases? (7 comments)
Interesting idea -- do you know of any cases?
Monica Cellio‭ wrote 9 months ago · edited 9 months ago

Interesting idea -- do you know of any cases? (It seems clear that this depends on a word with multiple pronunciations, like "read" which is different for present and past tenses, but beyond that, I'm currently stumped.)

trichoplax‭ wrote 9 months ago

I could only think of one example myself, which I won't spoil here. Noticing the example made me think of posting a challenge to see if anyone can find others.

I also wonder if there are chains of words connected this way, or words with 3 pronunciations to give more complex examples, but I wanted to keep the scoring as simple as possible here.

trichoplax‭ wrote 9 months ago

If someone posts an answer, I'll comment here to indicate if it's the same example I thought of, so it'll be clear if there is another known example to be found.

Moshi‭ wrote 9 months ago · edited 9 months ago

Monica Cellio‭ You already have a case since red/read/reed is one of them

trichoplax‭ wrote 9 months ago

Since neither of us spotted that example despite discussing the word "read", I'd say that's yours to post as an answer. Not the example I had in mind, so there's at least one other to be found.

Monica Cellio‭ wrote 9 months ago

Oh good catch Moshi -- you get the credit for that one if you want to post an answer. Drat, I was halfway there and still missed it!

trichoplax‭ wrote 8 months ago

A few more have arrived as answers, but none are the one I first thought of.