Phonetic Symbols

noun a sign (¨) placed over a vowel, indicating that it is sounded separately from the preceding vowel

• The diaeresis is a diacritical mark placed over a vowel to indicate that it is pronounced separately.
• The diaeresis in the word 'naïve' tells us to pronounce the two vowels separately.
• I always forget to include the diaeresis when typing words like 'coöperate'.
• The diaeresis in her name symbolizes the uniqueness of her identity.

noun a quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes

verb to produce a quavering or warbling sound

• The bird's trill could be heard throughout the forest.
• I love it when you trill that high note in the song.
• She trilled her excitement when she found out the news.
• His laughter had a trill to it that was infectious.

noun a title or term of respect in the Philippines

interjection used to express surprise, admiration, or approval

• The honoree received a prestigious award for their contributions to the field.
• Hey hon, can you pass me the salt?
• That hon over there is always causing drama.
• She's the queen bee, the hon of the group.

noun A diacritical mark.

• In Spanish, the accent mark is used to indicate the stress on a particular syllable in a word.
• Make sure you include the accent mark when writing in French to ensure proper pronunciation.
• I always forget to put the accent mark on my name when ordering coffee at Starbucks.
• Her unique accent mark in her speech made her stand out in the crowd.

noun a speech sound that begins like a stop (for example, [t]) but releases like a fricative (for example, [s])

• The phoneme /dʒ/ is an affricative sound in English.
• I find it difficult to pronounce affricative sounds correctly.
• Some people struggle with affricatives, but with practice, you can improve.
• Her words had a sharp affricative tone, cutting through the silence.