Is there a term for words that are spelled differently but have the same meaning?

Answer 1

Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.

Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings.

Words that both sound the same and are spelled the same and both homonyms (same sound) Fair, as in country fair and fair as in reasonable for example

Answer 2

They are called heteronyms or more specifically heterophones -- they are homographs (written the same) but have different pronunciation and different meanings. They are often different parts of speech.

Examples:

convict (verb - to find guilty) - convict (noun - one found guilty).

does (do, verb form) - does (plural noun)

sow (to plant seed) - sow (female pig)

* there is a list of these words at the related link

Answer 3

The words are called "homographs," a type of homonym.

Examples are the words bear (animal, or to carry) and left (direction, or remaining amount).

The larger set of words that are referred to as homonyms are words that are spelled differently but sound the same: these are called homophones.

Answer 4

Words that sound the same are called "homophones" (as opposed to homonyms, which share the same spelling as well).

Examples in English : bear-bare / ate-eight / shoot-chute / plain-plane / there-their

Answer 5

Homophones are words that may or may not be spelled differently and have different meanings. Example: birth and berth, night and knight.

(The term homonyms is specifically applied to words that are pronounced and spelled the same but still have different meanings. The word heteronym or heterophone is applied to words that are pronounced differently.)

They include:

Course- a Golf course

Coarse-rough

Need- to require

Knead - to knead dough

Tea- a drink/meal

Tee- golf

Practise- to keep trying

Practice- a dental practice

Bye- Goodbye

By- he got by

Buy- to purchase

* see the related link for more examples
A homonym.
They're called homophones.

Answer 6

They are called homophones but not homonyms, because homonyms are two words which have the same pronunciation and spelling but differ in meaning.
They are homophones.

Answer 7

Different words that have the same meaning are synonyms. Words that are opposites are called antonyms. Words that sound the same but don't have the same meaning are homonyms or homophones.

Answer 8

Either a homograph, homonym or a homophone.

Answer 9

They are homographs.

Answer 10

homophones