Category: Word Properties

Anagram/Antigram

An anagram is when a new word/phrase is formed from rearranging the letters in another word/phrase.

An antigram when an anagram of a word is its opposite. It is a portmanteau of Anti meaning against an Anagram.

Examples

Anagrams

  • The Eyes- They See
  • Eleven Plus Two- Twelve Plus One
  • Tom Marvolo Riddle- I am Lord Voldemort
  • Doctor Who- Torchwood

Antigrams

  • Funeral-Real Fun
  • United- Untied
  • Adultery-True Lady
  • Santa-Satan

Please feel free to leave any other examples in the comment section below.

Similar Words

There’s different terms for words that are similar here are a few.

Homonym

A homonym is a word that sounds like, or is spelled differently but have different meanings. Coming from Ancient Greek Homo meaning Same and Onym meaning Name.

Examples

  • There/Their/They’re
  • Bow(Weapon)/Bow(To Bow at someone)/Bow(Accessory)

Heteronym

A heteronym is a word that has a different pronunciation and meaning from another word but the same spelling. Coming from Ancient Greek Hetero meaning Different and Onym meaning Name.

Examples

  • Don’t desert(to leave) me here in the desert(A Place)!
  • Upon seeing the tear(To rip) in the painting I shed a tear(To Cry).

Homograph

A homograph is a word that looks the same but has a different meaning. Coming from Ancient Greek Homo meaning Same and Graph meaning Write.

Examples

  • Sow(To plant a seed) and Sow(A female pig)
  • Lead(The Material) and Lead(To have something follow it)

Homophone

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same/similarly but has a different meaning. Coming from Ancient Greek Homo meaning Same and Phone meaning Voice. If there is more than one word it can be called an Oronym.

Examples

  • Merry(To be happy) and Mary(The Name)
  • Ice Cream(The Food) and I Scream(The Verb)

Synonym

A synonym is a word that means the same thing as another word in the same language. Coming from Syn meaning With and Onym meaning Name.

Examples

  • Drink and Beverage
  • Buy and Purchase
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Homograph_homophone_venn_diagram.svg

Aptronym

An aptronym is a name which is suited to the person due a a range of factors. It comes from a blend of the word apt meaning suitable and patronym meaning the name of someones father. The opposite of an aptroynm is an Inaptronym, a name which is not suited to the person.

Examples

Aptronyms

  • Christopher Coke- Drug Lord and Cocaine Trafficker
  • Amy Freeze- American Meteorologist
  • Anthony Weiner- American politician involved in sexting scandals

Inaptronym

  • Samuel Foote- a comic actor who lost a leg in a horse-riding accident in 1766
  • Peter Bowler- Cricket Batsman
  • Don Black- White Supremacist

Acronyms

An acronym is an abbreviation made up of the beginning letters of the words. It is usually also one which is pronounceable.


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Alternatively, an initialism is a term made up of the beginning letters of the words. It is usually also one which is pronounced by its letters.

A similar word is a backronym. A backronym is a blend of the word “back” and “acornym”.

Examples

Acronym

  • Laser:Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
  • Gestapo:Geheime Staatspolizei
  • CD-ROM:Compact Disc Read-Only Memory

Initialism

  • BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
  • USA: United States of America
  • PIN: Personal Identification Number

Backronym

  • SAD-Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • COVFEFE Act- Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement Act
  • SOS-Save Our Ship/Soul

Autological Words

An Autological Word is a word which describes itself.

An autological is also known as a homological word from homo meaning same. The antonym to autological is heterological from hetero meaning different.

Examples of autological words are:

  • Short
  • English
  • Polysyllabic

Examples of heterological words are:

  • Long
  • Monosyllabic