scye, scythe, sie, psi, sigh

The words scye, scythe, sie, psi, sigh sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do scye, scythe, sie, psi, sigh sound the same even though they are completely different words?

The answer is simple: scye, scythe, sie, psi, sigh are homophones of the English language.

psi
  1. :: noun

    The 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.

  2. :: noun

    Parapsychological phenomena or abilities considered as a group.

  3. :: abbreviation

    pounds per square inch

scye
  1. :: noun

    an armhole (or, occasionally, a leghole) in tailoring and dressmaking

scythe
  1. :: noun

    An implement consisting of a long, curved single-edged blade with a long bent handle, used for mowing or reaping.

  2. :: verb-transitive

    To cut with or as if with a scythe.

sie
  1. :: verb

    To sink; fall; drop.

  2. :: verb

    To fall, as in a swoon; faint.

  3. :: verb

    To drop, as water; trickle.

  4. :: verb

    To sift.

sigh
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To exhale audibly in a long deep breath, as in weariness or relief.

  2. :: verb-intransitive

    To emit a similar sound: willows sighing in the wind.

  3. :: verb-intransitive

    To feel longing or grief; yearn: sighing for their lost youth.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    To express with or as if with an audible exhalation.

Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 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").