emerge, immerge

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

The answer is simple: emerge, immerge are homophones of the English language.

emerge
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To rise from or as if from immersion: Sea mammals must emerge periodically to breathe.

  2. :: verb-intransitive

    To come forth from obscurity: new leaders who may emerge.

  3. :: verb-intransitive

    To become evident: The truth emerged at the inquest.

  4. :: verb-intransitive

    To come into existence. See Synonyms at appear.

immerge
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To submerge or disappear in or as if in a liquid.

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").