born and bourne are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. born means “brought into existence”. bourne means “an archaic term for a boundary”. born is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɔɹn/
1.adj.brought into existence
“he was a child born of adultery”
2.adj.being talented through inherited qualities
“a natural leader”
3.n.British nuclear physicist (born in Germany) honored for his contributions to quantum mechanics (1882-1970)
/ˈbɔɹn/
| born | bourne | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɔɹn/ | /ˈbɔɹn/ |
| Said | bawrn | bawrn |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun | noun |
| Senses | 3 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | bourn |
Full entry for born · Full entry for bourne · More comparisons
1.n.an archaic term for a boundary
2.n.an archaic term for a goal or destination