baloney, bologna

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

The answer is simple: baloney, bologna are homophones of the English language.

baloney
  1. :: noun

    Variant of bologna.

  2. :: noun

    Nonsense.

  3. :: interjection

    Used to express disagreement or exasperation.

bologna
  1. :: noun

    A seasoned smoked sausage made of mixed meats, such as beef, pork, and veal.

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").