# Paronym

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{{Short description|Similar-sounding word with different meaning}}
{{Distinguish|Patronym}}
{{Redirect|Paronymous|the butterfly genus|Paronymus}}
{{Wiktionary|paronym}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2017}}
'''Paronyms''' are near-[homophone](/source/homophone)s ("soundalike"), near-[homograph](/source/homograph)s ("lookalike") and/or near-[cognate](/source/cognate)s ("meanalike") — words that are similar but not identical in [pronunciation](/source/pronunciation), [spelling](/source/Orthography), or [lexical meaning](/source/lexical_semantics) — which may cause confusion in their understanding (reception) and usage (production).<ref name=Routledge>{{Citation |title=Dictionary of Lexicography |author1=R.R.K.Hartmann |author2=Gregory James |year=2002 |page=106 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref> '''Paronymy''' is the relationship between a pair of words or phrases which are similar or partially identical in spelling, pronunciation and/or meaning.<ref name=Routledge /> 

In the discussion of [semantic analysis](/source/Semantic_analysis_(linguistics)), the term ''paronym'' can also be used in a narrower sense to refer to words that are derived from the same [root](/source/Root_(linguistics)), i.e. [cognate](/source/cognate) words.<ref>{{Cite OED|paronym}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics |author=David Crystal |page=351 |year=2008 |edition=6th |publisher=Blackwell publishers}}</ref>

==Examples==
===English===
Examples of English paronyms include:
{{div col}}
* ''accept'' and ''except''
* ''affect'' and ''effect''
* ''alternately'' and ''alternatively''
* ''[altitude](/source/altitude)'' and ''attitude''
* ''artful'' and ''artistic''
* ''[artist](/source/artist)'' and ''[artisan](/source/artisan)''
* ''authoritative'' and ''authoritarian''
* ''barely'' and ''[barley](/source/barley)''
* ''[billion](/source/billion)'' and ''[bullion](/source/bullion)''
* ''[breath](/source/breath)'' and ''[breadth](/source/breadth)''
* ''capable'' and ''[culpable](/source/culpability)''
* ''childish'' and ''childlike''
* ''[cognitive](/source/cognitive)'' and ''cognizant''
* ''[collision](/source/collision)'' and ''[collusion](/source/collusion)''
* ''command'' and ''[commend](/source/commend)''
* ''[confident](/source/confident)'' and ''[confidant](/source/confidant)''
* ''conjuncture'' and ''[conjecture](/source/conjecture)''
* ''[conservationism](/source/conservationism)'' and ''[conservatism](/source/conservatism)''
* ''continuous'' and ''contiguous''
* ''controller'' and ''[comptroller](/source/comptroller)''
* ''[coral](/source/coral)'' and ''[corral](/source/corral)''
* ''[country](/source/country)'' and ''[county](/source/county)''
* ''[death](/source/death)'' and ''dearth''
* ''defiant'' and ''[deviant](/source/deviant)''
* ''deprecate'' and ''depreciate''
* ''desperate'' and ''disparate''
* ''[detergent](/source/detergent)'' and ''deterrent''
* ''[deviant](/source/deviant)'' and ''devious''
* ''discord'' and ''[discourse](/source/discourse)''
* ''[eclipse](/source/eclipse)'' and ''[ellipse](/source/ellipse)''
* ''exception'' and ''exemption''
* ''[excise](/source/excise)'' and ''[exercise](/source/exercise)''
* ''express'' and ''[espresso](/source/espresso)''
* ''extent'' and ''extant''
* ''fitness'' and ''finesse''
* ''flail'' and ''fail''
* ''flaunt'' and ''flout''
* ''gauge'' and ''gouge''
* ''graceful'' and ''gracious''
* ''haven'' and ''[heaven](/source/heaven)''
* ''[historical](/source/historical)'' and ''[hysterical](/source/hysteria)''
* ''[infection](/source/infection)'' and ''[inflection](/source/inflection)''
* ''influence'' and ''[affluence](/source/affluence)''
* ''[innocent](/source/innocent)'' and ''innocuous''
* ''inspiration'' and ''aspiration''
* ''[lightning](/source/lightning)'' and ''lightening''
* ''lovely'' and ''lovable''
* ''[massage](/source/massage)'' and ''[message](/source/message)''
* ''motive'' and ''motif''
* ''paronym'' and ''[patronym](/source/patronym)''
* ''plague'' and ''plaque''
* ''popular'' and ''populous''
* ''[present](/source/present)'' and ''presence''
* ''president'' and ''[precedent](/source/precedent)''
* ''proceed'' and ''precede''
* ''prolepsis'' and ''[proslepsis](/source/proslepsis)''
* ''quiet'' and ''quite''
* ''recurring'' and ''re-occurring''
* ''[right](/source/right)'' and ''rite''
* ''sensitive'' and ''sensible''
* ''sentiment'' and ''[sediment](/source/sediment)''
* ''[succeed](/source/success)'' and ''[secede](/source/secession)''
* ''[stupid](/source/stupid)'' and ''[stupor](/source/stupor)''
* ''[telegraph](/source/telegraph)'' and ''[telegram](/source/telegram)''
* ''[temple](/source/temple)'' and ''[templar](/source/templar)''
* ''terrible'' and ''terrific''
* ''[trifle](/source/trifle)'' and ''[truffle](/source/truffle)''
* ''upmost'' and ''utmost''
* ''willing'' and ''willful''
* ''wreck'' and ''wreak''
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
* [-onym](/source/-onym)
* [Eggcorn](/source/Eggcorn)
* [Heteronym (linguistics)](/source/Heteronym_(linguistics))
* [Paronymic attraction](/source/Paronymic_attraction)
* [Word ladder](/source/Word_ladder)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Lexicology}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Semantic relations
Category:Types of words

{{ling-morph-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Paronym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paronym) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paronym?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.