frees, freeze, frieze

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

The answer is simple: frees, freeze, frieze are homophones of the English language.

frees
  1. :: verb

    Third-person singular simple present indicative form of free.

  2. :: noun

    Plural form of free.

freeze
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To pass from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat.

  2. :: verb-intransitive

    To acquire a surface or coat of ice from cold: The lake froze over in January. Bridges freeze before the adjacent roads.

  3. :: verb-intransitive

    To become clogged or jammed because of the formation of ice: The pipes froze in the basement.

  4. :: verb-intransitive

    To be at that degree of temperature at which ice forms: It may freeze tonight.

frieze
  1. :: noun

    Architecture A plain or decorated horizontal part of an entablature between the architrave and cornice.

  2. :: noun

    Architecture A decorative horizontal band, as along the upper part of a wall in a room.

  3. :: noun

    A coarse, shaggy woolen cloth with an uncut nap.

  4. :: noun

    A dense, low-pile surface, as in carpeting, resembling such cloth.

Definitions from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, 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").