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“Roots” or “Routes”

roots / routes are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

roots r·UW·t·s

  • nounthe condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage.

routes r·UW·t·s

  • verbsend documents or materials to appropriate destinations.
  • verbsend via a specific route.
  • verbdivert in a specified direction.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“roots”

  • …a Christmas tree, with its roots placed in a jar, and…
  • …and plant fibres, moss and roots, and is fixed into vegetation…
  • …moved the discipline beyond its roots in High Modernism.
  • Acorns and Bitter Roots: Starch Grain Research in the…
  • …the history of theatre: The roots of drama and comedy were…
  • …fourth Vaya Con Dios album: Roots and Wings, from which yet…
  • Hermann Graßmann – Roots and Traces.
  • Roots
  • Similar roots are found in place names…
  • Corruption in Mexico has its roots in colonial times.

“routes”

  • …available along almost all major routes; however, a large number of…
  • …North Sea and Irish Sea routes but have now moved away…
  • …are already used on domestic routes and using the A380 on…
  • Routes
  • …to Summit, Utah, and Illinois routes 32 and 33 also run…
  • …harpoon heads to track the routes taken by Thule people.
  • Careful planning of routes (to avoid running into walls)…
  • California State Routes
  • …or streetcars and these bus routes at curbside stops:
  • …planes, and toward more non-stop routes that could be served by…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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