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Glite Dictionary
digram

digram

8.7
A pair of letters that make one sound, like 'sh' in 'shoe'
  • noun
  • /ˈdaɪˌɡræm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : digrama
  • Understanding the digram 'ch' in 'chocolate' can help with pronunciation.

Examples

  • The word 'school' contains the digram 'sc', which is essential for its correct sound.

  • In phonetics, the digram 'th' in 'that' represents a single sound.

  • For example, the manipulation of the alphanumeric layout to promote alternation of hands has been shown experimentally to be a factor that improves rates of data entry by approximately 30-50 ms per digram (13, 21, 33).

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

digraph
vsdigram
  • Specialized
7.2

Two letters that make one sound, like sh in shoe

is the same meaning but appears as an alternative written form
multigraph
vsdigram
  • Specialized
7.7

A group of two or more letters that represent one sound in a word

refers specifically to two-letter pairs rather than longer sequences
phonogram
vsdigram
  • Specialized
8.9

A sign that stands for a sound, syllable, or word

focuses on two-letter pairs representing a single sound, not any written sign

How Long

shingle
  • Specialized
1 8.8
trigram
  • Specialized
7.2
digram
  • Specialized
8.7

Surface Forms

digram singular
digrams plural

Morphology

digram = di + gram

The elements 'di' (two) + '-gram' (written/letter element) transparently point to a pair of letters, but '-gram' is a specialized combining form rather than a standalone English word, so a B1 learner may not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word digram comes from the Greek parts di- meaning 'two' and gramma meaning 'letter', the same gramma you see in grammar and telegram. So a digram is 'two letters' that work together, like 'sh' or 'th'.