diphthong

From French diphtongue, from Ancient Greek δίφθογγος (díphthongos, “two sounds”), from δίς (dís, “twice”) + φθόγγος (phthóngos, “sound”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪfθɒŋ(ɡ)/, /ˈdɪpθɒŋ(ɡ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪfθɔŋ/, /ˈdɪpθɔŋ/
• (CA; US, in accents with the cot-caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪfθɑŋ/, /ˈdɪpθɑŋ/

• Audio (CA)

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• Audio (US)

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diphthong (plural diphthongs)

1. (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.

   Coordinate terms: monophthong, triphthong

2. (rare) A vowel digraph or ligature.
   • 1854, Robert Bigsby, Historical and Topographical Description of Repton, in the County of Derby, Woodfall and Kinder, page 47:

     And he might have written the name, also, with the diphthong æ, as well as the single vowel, in the initial syllable, throughout all the preceding forms.

   • 1860, Joseph E. Worcester, An Elementary Dictionary of the English Language, A New Edition, Swan, Brewer, and Tileston (publishers), page 12:

     An improper diphthong has only one of the vowels sounded; as, ea in heat, oa in coal.

   • 1874, Theophilus Dwight Hall, A Child’s First Latin Book, John Murray (publisher), page 3:

     The diphthong ae is sounded like ē (§7); that is, it has the sound of ey in they.

• monophthong
• triphthong

• glide
• ligature

• diphthong on Wikipedia.Wikipedia