kill, kiln

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

The answer is simple: kill, kiln are homophones of the English language.

kill
  1. :: verb-transitive

    To put to death.

  2. :: verb-transitive

    To deprive of life: The Black Death was a disease that killed millions.

  3. :: verb-transitive

    To put an end to; extinguish: The rain killed our plans for a picnic.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    To destroy a vitally essential quality in: Too much garlic killed the taste of the meat.

kiln
  1. :: noun

    Any of various ovens for hardening, burning, or drying substances such as grain, meal, or clay, especially a brick-lined oven used to bake or fire ceramics.

  2. :: verb-transitive

    To process in one of these ovens.

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").