The English language has been trying to trick us for centuries. Homophones are not necessarily homographs, and vice versa. We steal words from other languages, alter some, inexplicably keep others unchanged. It is a wonderful process that ends up with a language that bamboozles and baffles those attempting to learn English as a second (or third or fourth) language.
To be perfectly honest it confounds even native English speakers at times.
Here are 15 examples of when the English language has trolled us very cleverly indeed.
Actually ‘Bologna’ only rhymes with ‘Pony’ if you pronounce it WRONG.

That is so versatile and useful… and confusing.

Wait, what?

The English language broke her boyfriend.
‘Three languages in a trench coat’ is the title of my new album.
Good point

 
      
      
        
        10 Reasons English is Hard to Learn
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            March 19, 2025            
          
          10 Reasons English is Hard to Learn
English is a wonderfully wacky language—full of strange rules, even stranger exceptions, and enough contradictions…
         
      
      
        
        The Magic of Words on St. Patrick’s Day
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            March 17, 2025            
          
          The Magic of Words on St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is a time of folklore, storytelling, and lyrical magic—a celebration not just…
         
      
      
        
        Jurgis Bielinis and the Day of the Book Smugglers
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            March 16, 2023            
          
          Jurgis Bielinis and the Day of the Book Smugglers
Today marks a celebration of an event that many of you may not have heard…
         
      
      
        
        23 Emotions People Feel But Are Not Able To Explain
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            June 30, 2022            
          
          23 Emotions People Feel But Are Not Able To Explain
Human emotion is complex and sometimes seems indescribable, and yet we try. Some of the…
         
      
      
        
        50 British Sayings That Are Going Out of Fashion
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            January 27, 2022            
          
          50 British Sayings That Are Going Out of Fashion
Many British phrases are going out of fashion, according to a poll. Despite being considered…
         
      
      
        
        Italian dictionary under fire for sexist synonyms
        
                
        
          
          
        
      
      
      
        
    
            March 21, 2021            
          
          Italian dictionary under fire for sexist synonyms
Italian dictionary Treccani is under fire for its definition of the word 'woman'. Around 100…
        