digraph

[ dahy-graf, -grahf ]

noun

1. a pair of letters representing a single speech sound, as ea in meat or th in path.

digraph

/ ˈdaɪɡrɑːf; daɪˈɡræfɪk; -ɡræf /

noun

1. a combination of two letters or characters used to represent a single speech sound such as gh in English tough Compare ligature diphthong

Derived Forms

• digraphic, adjective

Other Words From

• di·graph·ic [dahy-, graf, -ik], adjective
• di·graphi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of digraph¹

First recorded in 1780–90; di- ¹ + -graph

Example Sentences

It can be dry and tedious stuff, replete with obscure jargon like “digraph” and “trigraph.”

From Seattle Times

With messages in English, for example, the pairing that turns up most often may well represent “TH,” the most common digraph in ordinary English.

From Literature

Four weeks ago, the Empress asked the Greater Loser Community to come up with new terms in which a digraph — a two-letter single-sound block — was replaced with another digraph.

From Washington Post

And so, as a True Loser, he suggested a contest with digraphs — blends of two letters, either vowels or consonants, that make one simultaneous sound.

From Washington Post

The scholars on the language commission, led by Erden Kazhybek, the head of the Institute of Linguistics in Almaty, then suggested using digraphs, or several letters to indicate a single sound, like “ch” in English.

From New York Times