The notion of paronym comes from the Greek word parṓnymos . Specifically, that word has been formed with the prefix “para-”, which means “next to”, and with the noun “onoma”, which can be translated as “name”.
The concept is used in the field of linguistics to refer to the word that, due to its sound, its form or its etymological root, maintains a link of similarity with another .
Paronyms, therefore, are terms that are written and/or pronounced alike , but have different and usually unrelated meanings . This link is known as paronymy .
In many cases, paronyms generate confusion , especially when writing. Someone may have the intention of expressing an idea but ends up writing down the paronym, making the text meaningless or misspelled . For example, a person may write “I don't want you to go away” when, in fact, they should have written “I don't want you to go away.” As you can see, “bayas” (fruits) and “vayas” (conjugation of the verb go) are paronyms.
“Marry” (get married) and “hunt” (catch and kill an animal ) are also paronyms. It is not the same to say “Tomorrow they are going to get married” as “Tomorrow they are going to hunt.”
Paronyms occur because there are a series of letters that have a fairly similar sound. This would be the case, for example, of “b” and “v”; of “z” and “c” or “c” and “k”. Not to mention that other words are pronounced the same due to the existence of the so-called silent “h”.
More examples of paronyms are cook and sew, gallows and orca, stream and stream, cape and cave, council and council or blind and harvest.
It should be noted that word games can be played with paronyms: “I'm never going to let myself be hunted, that's why I know I'm never going to get married.”
"Shoulder" y "man"; "rate" y "cup"; "damage" y "prejudice"; y "species" y "spice" también son parónimos, que generan errors como “What interest rate does a fixed term currently offer me?”, “Please don't put too many spices on my plate.” o “I am going to file a lawsuit for damages”.
The list of paronyms is endless and here are other examples, which can lead to confusion:
-Pantry, which is a place where food is stored, and dispensation, which can be translated as privilege.
-Juice, which is the drink obtained from a fruit, and sumo, which is a sporting practice as well as a verbal form of adding.
-Well, which is a deep hole that usually holds water, and grounds, which is the sediment left by a liquid in the glass, such as coffee.
-Indolent, which is the adjective that is applied to the person who is not moved, and insolent, which is the one that defines someone who is shameless.
-Docena, which is used to refer to a group of twelve things, and ten, which is the word used to refer to a set of ten things.