Benjamin Hourigan

Writer, editor, and entrepreneur

Homogeneous vs. homogenous

with 3 comments

Watch out: if you ever find yourself writing homogenous, you probably mean homogeneous.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

Homogeneous: “of the same kind, alike … consisting of parts all of the same kind.”

Homogenous: “an old fashioned term for homologous,” which means “having the same relation, relative position, or structure.”

This is one of those distinctions you never notice until you become an editor.

Written by Benjamin Hourigan

June 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm

3 Responses to 'Homogeneous vs. homogenous'

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  1. Ben, I am an editor, and I had no idea.

    Chris Berg

    3 Jun 08 at 15:10

  2. Took me a while before I came across this, too. I caught another homogenous today.

    Benjamin Hourigan

    3 Jun 08 at 15:30

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