watt, what, wot

The words watt, what, wot sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do watt, what, wot sound the same even though they are completely different words?

The answer is simple: watt, what, wot are homophones of the English language.

watt
  1. :: noun

    Electricity An International System unit of power equal to one joule per second. See Table at measurement.

what
  1. :: pronoun

    Which thing or which particular one of many: What are you having for dinner? What did she say?

  2. :: pronoun

    Which kind, character, or designation: What are these objects?

  3. :: pronoun

    One of how much value or significance: What are possessions to a dying man?

  4. :: pronoun

    That which; the thing that: Listen to what I tell you.

wot
  1. :: verb

    First and third person singular present tense of wit2.

Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.

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About Homophones

Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.

If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally "different writing").