Pun

Puns are often used in texts for humour, but can also make you think differently about a subject if the meaning is changed in the text.

Pun definition

A pun is a play on words or a joke using homophones (words with the same pronunciation but different meanings) or homographs (words with the same spelling but different meanings), with the pun centering on a word with more than one meaning or on two words that sound alike. Let's start to explore some quick examples of puns to get you more confident when trying to spot them.

Types of word puns

We will now take a look at three different types of puns. These are:

1. Homophonic puns
2. Homographic puns
3. Compound puns

Homophonic puns

Homophonic puns rely on words that sound the same (or very similar) but have different meanings and spellings (these are called homophones).

Because homophones sound the same but are spelt differently, the humour from homophonic puns is used more often in spoken texts, as the pun is more effective when it is spoken rather than when it is read.

Homographic puns

Homographic puns (also known as heteronymic puns) use words that are spelt the same but have different meanings.

Unlike homophonic puns, homographic puns are better understood when read. Because of this, homographic puns can be found in prose writing as well as plays and humorous writing. They are also used to show the multiple meanings of something, rather than writers just using them for humour.

Here, the homographic pun plays on the word "flies" which is spelled the same but has multiple meanings. The first meaning is referring to flight but the second meaning is referring to a fly, which is an insect.

Compound puns

Compound puns are probably the easiest to understand - they are simply a sentence that contains more than one pun. This can be two homographic puns, two homophonic puns, or a mixture of both.

They sometimes end up having more than two meanings, as each pun has its own multiple meanings; when they are combined they have lots of meanings.

Now that we've had a look at some different types of puns let's think about some common examples.

Pun examples

Fig. 1 - Always save your work!

List of puns

Now that you have a good understanding of what a pun is and the different types of puns, let's have a look at some examples of puns to help you get more confident identifying them in a text.

Here are some examples of homophonic puns:

The word 'stationary' can refer to something not moving but can also be confused with stationery, which refers to writing or office materials.

'Well-red' could be confused with 'well read' as they sound the same. So the sentence has the double meaning of someone being able to read a lot but also becoming sunburnt.

Here are some homographic puns! Remember, homographic puns are spelled out the same but still have multiple meanings.

'Stick' has a double meaning. It could be talking about a glue salesman always being true to their word, or saying that they literally stick to it, as they sell glue.

The pun in this sentence plays on the word 'stories' which can mean floors in a building or the narrative of a text.

The word 'beat' in this sentence could mean whisking the egg, or saying that there isn't anything better than a boiled egg every morning.

Finally, take a look at this example of a compound pun:

This sentence uses a compound pun! The first word (hares) can refer to the animal or to the hair on your head. Combing (the second word) can mean searching or could be talking about using a comb. Here we have both a homophonic pun ('hare' and 'hair') as well as a homographic pun ('combing').

Fig. 2 - Seas the chance to study with StudySmarter.

Puns in literature

Now that you've had a look at some puns, let's consider why a writer might use puns and what effects they can have.

Puns are used quite often in Literature and are more common in plays than prose. We are going to look at two examples from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , as well as a pun used in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations .

Mercutio speaks this homographic pun before his death. The word 'grave' has multiple meanings. It could mean that Mercutio is sad / serious about the situation between Romeo and Tybalt (who are feuding), or it could be Shakespeare hinting at Mercutio's imminent death.

The compound pun here shows how puns can give multiple meanings to a line. Heavy could mean sadness, but also might be referring to the light itself being heavy. The light also has a double meaning. It could be talking about literal light or 'light' feelings.

This pun helps us understand Romeo's feelings in this part of the play, and is a great example of the way puns can help a writer to create double meanings rather than just using them for humor.

Here is an example of a homographic pun in prose writing (rather than a play). In Dickens' novel, the point can mean two different things.

• Pointing something out (to do with the main aspect of a conversation);
• Be the literal definition of the point (the sharp end) of an object.

Now you have a much greater understanding of puns, their types, and their uses. You will soon have a chance to test your knowledge, so pay attention to these key takeaways ...