pride, pried

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

The answer is simple: pride, pried are homophones of the English language.

pride
  1. :: noun

    A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.

  2. :: noun

    Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association: parental pride.

  3. :: noun

    Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness.

  4. :: noun

    A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: These soldiers were their country's pride.

pried
  1. :: verb

    Past tense and past participle of pry2.

  2. :: verb

    Past tense and past participle of pry1.

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").