What is the difference between a heteronym and homograph?

While both heteronyms and homographs deal with words that are spelled the same, their key difference lies in their pronunciation:

* Homographs are words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, often with different meanings. Think of words like "bow" (to bend) and "bow" (a weapon) or "lead" (a metal) and "lead" (to guide).

* Heteronyms are a specific type of homograph where the different pronunciations result in completely different words with no connection in meaning. The most common example is "read" (present tense) and "read" (past tense).

Here's a table summarizing the difference:

| Feature | Homograph | Heteronym |

|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

| Spelling | Same | Same |

| Pronunciation | Different | Different |

| Meaning | Can be related or unrelated | Completely unrelated |

| Example | "bow" (to bend) and "bow" (a weapon), "lead" (a metal) and "lead" (to guide) | "read" (present tense) and "read" (past tense) |

In essence, all heteronyms are homographs, but not all homographs are heteronyms.