bird
/ˈbɝd/
nounverb
Core
1.n.warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
2.n.the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food
3.n.informal terms for a (young) woman
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bird and byrd are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. bird means “warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings”. byrd means “English organist and composer of church music; master of 16th century polyphony; was granted a monopoly in music printing with Thomas Tallis (1543-1623)”. bird is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɝd/
1.n.warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
2.n.the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food
3.n.informal terms for a (young) woman
/ˈbɝd/
| bird | byrd | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɝd/ | /ˈbɝd/ |
| Said | burd | burd |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 6 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | William Byrd |
Full entry for bird · Full entry for byrd · More comparisons
1.n.English organist and composer of church music; master of 16th century polyphony; was granted a monopoly in music printing with Thomas Tallis (1543-1623)
2.n.explorer and United States naval officer; led expeditions to explore Antarctica (1888-1957)