soar, sore

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

The answer is simple: soar, sore are homophones of the English language.

soar
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To rise, fly, or glide high and with little apparent effort.

  2. :: verb-intransitive

    To climb swiftly or powerfully.

  3. :: verb-intransitive

    To glide in an aircraft while maintaining altitude.

  4. :: verb-intransitive

    To ascend suddenly above the normal or usual level: Our spirits soared. See Synonyms at rise.

sore
  1. :: adjective

    Painful to the touch; tender.

  2. :: adjective

    Feeling physical pain; hurting: sore all over.

  3. :: adjective

    Causing misery, sorrow, or distress; grievous: in sore need.

  4. :: adjective

    Causing embarrassment or irritation: a sore subject.

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").