chorale, corral

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

The answer is simple: chorale, corral are homophones of the English language.

chorale
  1. :: noun

    A Protestant hymn melody.

  2. :: noun

    A harmonized hymn, especially one for organ.

  3. :: noun

    A chorus or choir.

corral
  1. :: noun

    An enclosure for confining livestock.

  2. :: noun

    An enclosure formed by a circle of wagons for defense against attack during an encampment.

  3. :: verb-transitive

    To drive into and hold in a corral.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    To arrange (wagons) in a corral.

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").