(Photo courtesy of Tommy Hemmert Olesen at Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0 License.)

Good Knight! What would ordspil (puns) be without homonyms – words that sound the same, yet have quite different meanings? Og så var der den om… harpespilleren der var streng. (And then there was the story about… the harpist who was strict/a string!) Here’s a list of some danske homonymer. You never know when you’ll knead them – into a silly vittighed (joke)…

• skål (bowl) – skål! (cheers!)
• blad (leaf) – blad (magazine)
• både (boats) – både … og (both … and)
• bakke (hill) – bakke (tray) – at bakke (to back)
• hede (heath) – hede (heat)
• hjul (wheel) – jul (X-mas)
• kort (map) – kort (card) – kort (short)
• sky (cloud) – sky (shy) – sky (gravy)
• fuld (full) – fuld (drunk)
• scene (stage) – sene (sinew) – sene blomster (late flowers)
• køer (cows) – køer (queues, lines)
• frø (frog) – frø (seed)
• kløer (claws) – klør (clubs [in card games]) – det klør (it’s itching)
• have (garden) – have (oceans) – at have (to have – though most people would shorten it to at ha’)
• skade (damage) – skade (magpie [a bird that looks a bit like a crow])
• svær (difficult) – sværd (sword)
• seks (six) – sex
• elvere (elevens) – elvere (elves)
• rude (square) – rude (pane)
• ramme (frame) – at ramme (to hit)
• at leje (to rent) – at lege (to play)
• at vide (to know) – hvide (white of egg) – hvide (whites)
• bord (table) – bor (drill) – vi bor i… (we live in…)
• skuffe (drawer) – at skuffe (to disappoint)
• stol (chair) – stol på mig! (trust in me!)
• skæg (beard) – det er kun for skæg (it’s only for fun)
• bare (only) – de er bare (they’re naked)
• nød (nut) – nød (distress)
• dyr (animal) – dyr (expensive)
• tåge (mist) – toge (trains)
• ben (leg) – ben (bone)
• regning (arithmetic) – regning (bill)
• gift (poison) – gift (married)
• stamme (trunk) – stamme (tribe) – at stamme (to stammer) – at stamme fra (to originate from)
• fyr (guy) – fyr (lighthouse) – fyr! (fire!) – fyr (fir-tree – though unlike the others, this one is usually pronounced without stød)

Did I miss your favourites? Feel free to add them in a comment. 🙂