Homophenes are defined as what?

Homophenes refer to words that visually appear the same on the lips when spoken. This is significant in the context of communication, particularly for individuals with hearing impairments who rely on lipreading as a primary means of understanding speech. Because certain words may look identical when articulated, this can lead to misunderstandings during conversations, as a lipreader may misinterpret one homophone for another, causing confusion.

For example, the words "pair" and "pear" would be considered homophenes because they look the same when someone speaks them, thus a person lipreading might not be able to differentiate between the two based solely on visual cues. This understanding is crucial in aural rehabilitation, as it highlights the challenges faced by individuals who utilize visual information to complement their communication efforts.