The words rho, roe, row sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do rho, roe, row sound the same even though they are completely different words?
The answer is simple: rho, roe, row are homophones of the English language.
The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.
The eggs or the egg-laden ovary of a fish.
The egg mass or spawn of certain crustaceans, such as the lobster.
The roe deer.
The act or an instance of rowing.
A series of objects placed next to each other, usually in a straight line.
A succession without a break or gap in time: won the title for three years in a row.
A line of adjacent seats, as in a theater, auditorium, or classroom.
Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.
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").