Same spelling, different meanings—why pronunciation matters. Take a word like Polish. Looks simple, right? But depending on how you say it, it can mean two very different things. Let’s break it down: 🔸 Polish (po-lish) — with the stress on the first syllable, it becomes a proper noun. ➡️ The people of Poland are called Polish. ➡️ She is a Polish artist. 🔸 polish (po-lish) — with the stress on the second syllable, it becomes a verb. ➡️ Please polish your shoes. ➡️ He polished the table until it