Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

complementary distribution

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English

Syllables
com-ple-men-tary dis-tri-bu-tion
IPA
39
Scrabble Score
25
Letters
7
Syllables
16
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The distribution of phones in their respective phonetic environments such that one never appears in the same phonetic context as the other.

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

contrastive distribution free variation

Questions

What does complementary distribution mean?
The distribution of phones in their respective phonetic environments such that one never appears in the same phonetic context as the other.

How to pronounce complementary distribution

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “complementary distribution”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “complementary distribution”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “complementary distribution” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.