polar, poler, poller

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

The answer is simple: polar, poler, poller are homophones of the English language.

polar
  1. :: adjective

    Of or relating to a pole.

  2. :: adjective

    Measured from or referred to a pole: polar distance; polar diameter.

  3. :: adjective

    Relating to, connected with, or located near the North Pole or South Pole.

  4. :: adjective

    Passing over a planet's north and south poles: a polar orbit.

poler
  1. :: noun

    One that propels, supports, conveys, or strikes with a pole.

  2. :: noun

    A pole horse.

poller
  1. :: noun

    one who polls or lops trees

  2. :: noun

    one who cuts hair; a barber

  3. :: noun

    one who votes

  4. :: noun

    one who registers voters or conducts a poll

Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 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").