Walk vs. Wok

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Grammarist

Walk and wok are commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words walk and wok, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.

Walk means to travel on foot, to move through space by putting one foot in front of the other. Walk is also used as a noun to mean to go somewhere by putting one foot in front of the other. Related words are walks, walked, walking. The word walk is derived from the Old English word, wealcan, which means to move around.

A wok is an Asian cooking vessel that is shaped like a bowl and can be used for stir-frying, boiling, steaming, braising, and a number of other cooking methods. The word wok came into use in the 1950s and is a borrowed or loan word from Cantonese.

Examples

Summers said it’s been fun to see families enjoy the Winter Wonderland Walk, and the whole thing came together because of a group of festive, creative people who brought energy and excitement to the project. (Connecticut Post)

The vehicle was parked in the driveway of the residence and a witness stated they saw a man matching the suspect’s description get out of a passenger car and walk to the driver’s side of the vehicle with an object in their hand.  (St. George News)

One of the most interesting pictures in the book shows a master blacksmith pounding a flat sheet of metal into a bowl-shaped wok in China’s Guangxi Province. (Seattle Times)

She’s also the creator of the Lotus Wok, a nonstick, flat-bottomed version of the traditional tool and designed for the modern kitchen. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Enjoyed reading about these homophones? Check out another one we covered: