Tomato, tomahto. Or rather, tuh-MAY-toes, tuh-MAH-toes.
We aren't talking about homonyms (same spelling but different meaning); homophones (same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling); nor homographs (same spelling but not necessarily pronounced the same and having different meanings and origins). Rather, we're investigating words with a single intended meaning that can be properly pronounced in two or more well-documented ways. Keep in mind that this is not about regionalisms or heteronyms, which are defined as two or more words that are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings (like tear from your eye and tear a sheet of paper).
To learn more about these types of mystery words, Reader's Digest spoke to Charles Harrington Elster, the Yale-educated pronunciation editor for Black's Law Dictionary, consultant for Garner's Modern English Usage, and author of What in the Word? "As the author of a book titled There's a Word for It, I wish there were a word for [these word pairs]. But unfortunately, I'm not aware of one," he said. Elster offered up a solution: "The best I've been able to come up with as a label or term for these words is 'pronunciation pugilists' or 'pugilistic pronunciations,' which can be shortened to the snappier 'pugiprons.'"
So let's dive into some common pugiprons. Want even more wordy brain busters? Check out our 14 Jeopardy! grammar questions that would stump your English teacher.
13 Words That Can Be Pronounced Two Ways, Source:https://www.rd.com/list/words-that-can-be-pronounced-two-ways/
