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Glite Dictionary
polyphone

polyphone

9.9
A letter that has two different sounds in different words
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒlɪˌfoʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polifonema
  • The letter 'g' is a polyphone because it is pronounced differently in 'go' and 'giant'.

Examples

  • Teachers often point out the letter 'c' as a classic example of a polyphone.

  • In English spelling, encountering a polyphone can make pronunciation tricky for learners.

  • The letter 'c' is a polyphone in English.

  • Many languages use polyphones to convey different meanings.

  • In English spelling, encountering a polyphone can make pronunciation tricky for learners.

  • The letter 'g' is a polyphone because it is pronounced differently in 'go' and 'giant'.

  • Teachers often point out the letter 'c' as a classic example of a polyphone.

Synonyms

polyphonic letter
vspolyphone
  • Specialized
9.8

A letter that has two or more sounds in different words

is the shorter single-word technical label for that same pronunciation trait

Surface Forms

polyphone singular
polyphones plural

Morphology

polyphone = phone (semi-transparent) = poly + phone

The form clearly means 'many sounds', but the specialized linguistic sense of a letter with multiple pronunciations is not fully obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Polyphone comes from two Greek parts: poly- meaning 'many' and -phone meaning 'sound' or 'voice', as in telephone or phone. So a polyphone is a letter or sign that has 'many sounds', which is why letters like 'c' and 'g' can be pronounced in different ways.