# steal, steel, Steele

> English homophone group · 3 words that sound the same · /stiːl/

These English words share one pronunciation but differ in spelling and meaning.

## The words

### steal
*/stiːl/*
To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.

### steel
*/stiːl/*
An artificial metal produced from iron, harder and more elastic than elemental iron; used figuratively as a symbol of hardness.

### Steele
*/stiːl/*
An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA); groups derived from IPA pronunciation. Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/homophones/steal