halve, have

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

The answer is simple: halve, have are homophones of the English language.

halve
  1. :: verb-transitive

    To lessen or reduce by half: halved the recipe to serve two.

  2. :: verb-transitive

    To divide (something) into two equal portions or parts.

  3. :: verb-transitive

    Informal To share (something) equally: The twins halve everything.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    Sports To play (a golf game or hole) using the same number of strokes as one's opponent.

have
  1. :: phrasal-verb

    have at To attack.

  2. :: phrasal-verb

    have on To wear: had on red shoes.

  3. :: verb-transitive

    To be in possession of: already had a car.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function: has a beard; had a great deal of energy.

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").