made, maid

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

The answer is simple: made, maid are homophones of the English language.

made
  1. :: verb

    Past tense and past participle of make.

  2. :: adjective

    Produced or manufactured by constructing, shaping, or forming. Often used in combination: handmade lace; ready-made suits.

  3. :: adjective

    Produced or created artificially: bought some made goods at the local store.

  4. :: adjective

    Having been invented; contrived: These made excuses of yours just won't wash.

maid
  1. :: noun

    An unmarried girl or woman.

  2. :: noun

    A virgin.

  3. :: noun

    A woman servant.

  4. :: noun

    A housemaid or chambermaid.

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").