Bye Versus Buy: Can Word Sound Affect Our Choices?

The son looked up to the setting sun. He was a knight who didn’t fear the night. He was the one who won the battle. Now he needed a break so he put on the brake.

As a non-native speaker, the English language continues to puzzle and amaze me—even after years of learning and studying. English is a non-phonetic language meaning that not every word is pronounced the way it’s written. Complex and often unpredictable spelling rules mean that some words sound the same way when spoken even though they are spelled differently and have very different meanings. Such similar-sounding words are also referred to as “homophones.” Common examples include:

• Son and sun
• Knight and night
• One and won
• Break and brake.

The Surprising Power of Homophones

Homophones are a fun little quirk of the English language, which can be used to enhance creative wordplays, rhyming poetry, and humorous puns. I particularly enjoy the following examples.

• I know it’s cheesy but I feel grate. (Wordplay on the homophones grate and great)
• A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it’s two-tired. (Wordplay on the homophones two and too)
• Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red. (Wordplay on the homophones red and read)

Little learners and non-native English students may struggle with the inconsistent spelling, but the added effort could have benefits for their learning and growth. Similar-sounding words may stimulate cognitive flexibility and encourage more contextual thinking.

However, there’s another side to homophones: They can have a powerful effect on our judgments and choices. Similar-sounding words can give rise to a systematic thinking bias, previously dubbed the “bye-now effect.” This effect is named after the homophones bye and buy. It refers to a situation, where encountering a word (for example, bye) triggers thoughts of its phonological counterpart (buy). A process of phonological priming creates a shift in mindset towards the verb buy. By prompting us to think of a different topic, the bye-now effect can affect our judgments and any resulting actions.

Evidence of the bye-now effect was reported in a research study. Participants were presented with a travel blog, which ended with the author’s farewell to their holiday destination (either bye-bye or so long). Then participants completed an ostensibly separate decision scenario, asking about their willingness to pay for a restaurant dinner deal. One-half of the participants were also burdened with a higher cognitive load; they were asked to perform an additional task at the same time as reading and responding to the scenario. In one version of the experiment, the task involved remembering a string of digits. In another version, participants had to count occurrences of the letter "a” in the experimental materials. Results showed that participants with a higher cognitive load and previous exposure to the homophone bye were more willing to buy the restaurant deal. It appeared that reading the word bye successfully primed the meaning of the word buy, but only if participants were distracted.

The effects of homophone priming were replicated across other homophone pairs (right and write; phew and few) as part of the same larger research study. For example, instructions to move the computer keyboard to the right, primed participants to write more words in a separate essay drafting task. Similarly, reading about a narrowly averted traffic accident concluding with the word phew (as opposed to “close call”) led participants to make fewer savings in a subsequent decision task.

Guarding Against the Bye-Now Effect

Previous research has shown that similar-sounding, unrelated words can affect our thinking and choices, especially if we’re distracted. Commercial companies out for a win might use these insights to their advantage. Clever wordplays and puns are often part of wider marketing strategies and slogans aimed at attracting customers. The homophone twins of bye and buy are a prime example. Another one comes from my personal holiday experience, where a seaside restaurant advertised the "best plaice in town." I also wonder whether statements like “No time to waste,” or “Don’t wait,” may be particularly powerful as part of advertising slogans for weight loss products to promote a slimmer waistline.

Knowing about the power of homophones is the first step toward reducing bias. Another strategy involves minimising cognitive load. Research suggests that concentration can help to suppress the influence of unrelated homophones. Hence, a simple measure might be to avoid multi-tasking and to focus exclusively on the task at hand. Stop texting and listening to podcasts while doing your shopping and actively look out for misleading language! How many homophones can you spot if you pay attention? Eye bet it's moor than ewe no.