Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

monophthong

/ˈmɑnəfˌθɔŋ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
monoph-thong
IPA
/ˈmɑnəfˌθɔŋ/
22
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A vowel (in the sense of a sound rather than a letter of the alphabet) that has the same sound throughout its pronunciation, such as the short vowels in "pap", "pep", "pip", "pop" and "pup", as opposed to a diphthong (eg, /aɪ/, the vowel in "pipe") or a triphthong (eg, /aɪə/, the sound in the non-rhotic pronunciation of "pyre").

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μονόφθογγος (monóphthongos), from μόνος (mónos, “single”) + φθόγγος (phthóngos, “sound”).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɑnəfˌθɔŋ/
  • British English: /ˈmɒnəfˌθɒŋ(ɡ)/

Inflected Forms

monophthongs (plural)

Derived Forms

monophthongal monophthongic monophthongisation monophthongise monophthongization monophthongize

Frequently Paired Words

diphthong triphthong tetraphthong pentaphthong

Questions

How do you pronounce monophthong?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑnəfˌθɔŋ/.
What does monophthong mean?
A vowel (in the sense of a sound rather than a letter of the alphabet) that has the same sound throughout its pronunciation, such as the short vowels in "pap", "pep", "pip", "pop" and "pup", as opposed to a diphthong (eg, /aɪ/, the vowel in "pipe") or a triphthong (eg, /aɪə/, the sound in the non-rhotic pronunciation of "pyre").
Where does monophthong come from?
From Ancient Greek μονόφθογγος (monóphthongos), from μόνος (mónos, “single”) + φθόγγος (phthóngos, “sound”).

How to pronounce monophthong

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