away, aweigh

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

The answer is simple: away, aweigh are homophones of the English language.

away
  1. :: adverb

    From a particular thing or place: ran away from the lion; sent the children away to boarding school.

  2. :: adverb

    At or to a distance in space or time: We live a block away from the park.

  3. :: adverb

    At or by a considerable interval: away back in the 17th century; away off on the horizon.

  4. :: adverb

    In a different direction; aside: glanced away.

aweigh
  1. :: adjective

    Nautical Hanging clear of the bottom. Used of an anchor.

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").