What is a diphthong?

A diphthong is a gliding monosyllabic speech sound that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position of another.

Here are some examples of diphthongs:

• \oy\ in toy
• \ou\ in out

• Concept module: diphthong
• In overview module: Glossary (Literacy): D
• In modular book: Glossary of literacy terms
• In document collection: Reference materials
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 2 July 1998

© 1999 SIL International