Phoneme Definition

fōnēm
phonemes
noun
The smallest phonetic unit in a language that is capable of conveying a distinction in meaning, as the m of mat and the b of bat in English.
American Heritage
A set of phonetically similar but slightly differing sounds in a language that are heard as the same sound by native speakers and are represented in phonemic transcription by the same symbol.
In English, the phoneme /p/ includes the phonetically differentiated sounds represented by p in “pin,” “spin,” and “tip”
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
  • minimal distinctive unit of sound
  • ceneme
  • meaningful unit of sound

Other Word Forms of Phoneme

Noun

Singular:
phoneme
Plural:
phonemes

Origin of Phoneme

  • French phonème from Greek phōnēma phōnēmat- utterance, sound produced from phōnein to produce a sound from phōnē sound, voice bhā-2 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek φώνημα (phōnÄ“ma), from φωνέω (phōneō), from φωνή (phōnÄ“).

    From Wiktionary

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