(phonetics) A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel, in the same syllable.
Used in a Sentence
diphthong
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for diphthong.
Editorial note
The diphthong is probably older, and sort of has an Old Saxon twang to it, if I may say.
Examples16
Definitions3
Parts of speech1
Quick take
(phonetics) A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel, in the same syllable.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of diphthong gathered in one view.
(phonetics) A diaphoneme realized as a two-target vowel in some but not necessarily all dialects.
(rare) A vowel digraph or ligature.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for diphthong.
noun
(phonetics) A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel, in the same syllable.
noun
(phonetics) A diaphoneme realized as a two-target vowel in some but not necessarily all dialects.
noun
(rare) A vowel digraph or ligature.
Example sentences
The diphthong is probably older, and sort of has an Old Saxon twang to it, if I may say.
Learning the relationship between a diæresis and a diphthong and then seeing that the word diæresis contains a diphthong has rounded out my day nicely, thanks for that.
> The Diphthong is a specially crafted musical instrument consisting of two entwined harmonicas emitting dissonant tones when played simultaneously.
The <ie> is pronounced either [i:] or as a diphthong [ie] (but probably not [y]).
It can't be 'dreissig', since a double consonant like 'ss' indicates a short vowel, which a diphthong like 'ei' can never be.
Maybe I'm missing some subtleties of German phonetic transcription here, but that's an /ɛɐ/ diphthong if I've ever seen one.
This is what the Specification says about the owe/owne trigraph/tetragraph: 'ow[n]e Internal & terminal OW diphthong (howe, towne, scowel, flower).' 2.
Ão is a notoriously difficult diphthong to pronounce for many native speakers of other languages.
<ea> is not pronounced [æ] but rather as a super cool-sounding diphthong, [æɑ].
'nowe': English 2.0 distinguishes 'ow' (digraph, same Long O sound as in 'know') from 'owe' (trigaph, same the OW diphthong sound as in 'now').
And in Quebec fête has a diphthong but féte would not have one I think (please correct me if I am wrong), and it is not the one in faith anyway.
Since you mention the /eɪ/ diphthong, in French it can be spelled é, ée, et, ed, er, ai, and many others.
Quote examples
That's just a long vowel, not a diphthong (literally "two sounds"; incidentally, "sounds" has a diphthong in it).
Sperm whales have their own "phonetic alphabet" with vowel-like patterns and diphthong-like frequency changes.
Simplest example is probably the word “no” which is very much a diphthong.
The spelling reform (about 10 years ago) somewhat reduced the use of ß but you still use it frequently after a diphthong (as in "Straße" [street]).
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use diphthong in a sentence?
The diphthong is probably older, and sort of has an Old Saxon twang to it, if I may say.
What does diphthong mean?
(phonetics) A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel, in the same syllable.
What part of speech is diphthong?
diphthong is commonly used as noun.