digraph
dig
ˈdɪg
dig
raph
ræf
rāf
British pronunciation
/dˈɪɡɹaf/

Definition & Meaning of "digraph"in English

Digraph
01

a pair of characters used to represent a single sound, such as "sh" or "th", in phonetics or linguistics

What is a "digraph"?

A digraph is a pair of letters that together represent a single sound or phoneme in a language. This combination can consist of two consonants, two vowels, or a consonant and a vowel. For example, in English, the "ch" in "chair" represents a unique sound that is not the sum of the individual letters' sounds. Similarly, the "ea" in "bread" produces a distinct vowel sound. Digraphs are important in phonetics and linguistics because they help illustrate how sounds are represented in writing, contributing to the understanding of spelling patterns and pronunciation rules in different languages.

example
Examples
In the word " ship, " the letters " sh " form a digraph representing the sound /ʃ/.
Children learning to read often practice recognizing common digraphs like " ch " and " ph. "
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