beginning and source share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. beginning means “the event consisting of the start of something”. source means “the place where something begins, where it springs into being”. beginning is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/
1.n.the event consisting of the start of something
“the beginning of the war”
2.n.the time at which something is supposed to begin
“they got an early start”
3.n.the first part or section of something
“`It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story”
/ˈsɔɹs/
1.n.the place where something begins, where it springs into being
“the Italian beginning of the Renaissance”
2.n.a document (or organization) from which information is obtained
“the reporter had two sources for the story”
3.n.anything that provides inspiration for later work
| beginning | source | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ | /ˈsɔɹs/ |
| Said | bi-GIN-ing | sawrs |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 9 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, adjective | noun, verb |
| Senses | 6 | 11 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | beginning, origin, root |
Full entry for beginning · Full entry for source · More comparisons