The words woe, whoa sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do woe, whoa sound the same even though they are completely different words?
The answer is simple: woe, whoa are homophones of the English language.
Used as a command to stop, as to a horse.
Deep distress or misery, as from grief; wretchedness. See Synonyms at regret.
Misfortune; calamity: economic and political woes.
Used to express sorrow or dismay.
Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.
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").