Prefix · similarity · same
Means "same" or "equal": homogeneous, homonym, homophone, homologous, homozygous.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Homo- comes from Greek "homos" (same, equal) and appears in scientific and linguistic vocabulary. Homogeneous = of uniform composition (all the same); homonym = same name (word with the same sound or spelling as another); homophone = same sound; homologous = of corresponding structure or common evolutionary origin. Spanish uses the same prefix: homogéneo, homónimo, homófono, homólogo.
In biology: homologous (structures sharing a common evolutionary origin), homozygous (carrying two identical alleles). In chemistry: homogeneous (uniform mixture), homogenize (make uniform). In linguistics: homonym (same name), homophone (same sound), homograph (same writing). The prefix appears constantly in natural sciences, chemistry, and linguistics.
Combines with Greek roots in scientific and linguistic contexts:
Pronunciation: /ˈhoʊ.moʊ/. Spanish uses the identical prefix: homogéneo (homogeneous), homónimo (homonym), homólogo (homologous), homófono (homophone). All cognates are direct.
homo-/ˈhoʊ.moʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
All three share homo- (same) but differ in what is the same: homophone (homos + phone = same sound: know/no, there/their/they're); homograph (homos + graphe = same writing, different pronunciation: lead/lead, wind/wind); homonym (homos + onoma = same name) is the broader term covering words that share sound, spelling, or both. "Homophone" is the most commonly tested in English language learning.
A trick to remember it
Homo- = same, equal. Spanish cognates: homogéneo (homogeneous), homónimo (homonym), homólogo (homologous), homófono (homophone). Rule: homo- always signals two or more things are the same or identical in some way.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"Know" and "no" are homophones because...
The prefix homo- means "same" or "equal": homogeneous, homonym, homophone, homologous, homozygous. In Spanish it usually maps to homo-.
The prefix homo- is pronounced /ˈhoʊ.moʊ/. For example, "homogeneous".
"geneous" becomes "homogeneous". It is a typical example of the homo- prefix.
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