censor and sensor are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. censor means “someone who censures or condemns”. sensor means “any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner”.
/ˈsɛnsɚ/
1.n.someone who censures or condemns
2.n.a person who is authorized to read publications or correspondence or to watch theatrical performances and suppress in whole or in part anything considered obscene or politically unacceptable
3.v.forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)
| censor | sensor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛnsɚ/ | /ˈsɛnsɚ/ |
| Said | SEN-sur | SEN-sur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 1 |
| How common | Familiar | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | detector, sensing element |
Full entry for censor · Full entry for sensor · More comparisons
/ˈsɛnsɚ/
1.n.any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner