diacritic Definition
- 1a mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning
- 2a sign, such as an accent or cedilla, which when written above or below a letter indicates a difference in pronunciation from the same letter when unmarked or differently marked
Using diacritic: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "diacritic" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The diacritic on the 'e' in 'café' changes its pronunciation.
Example
In Spanish, the tilde is a diacritic that indicates stress on a syllable.
Example
The umlaut is a diacritic used in German to indicate a change in vowel sound.
diacritic Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for diacritic
- accent mark
- diacritical mark
- diacritical point
Phrases with diacritic
Example
The diacritic mark on the 'c' in 'façade' indicates that it should be pronounced like an 's'.
Example
The Chinese language uses a diacritic system called pinyin to indicate the pronunciation of characters.
a language that uses diacritics to distinguish between different sounds or meanings
Example
Vietnamese is a diacritic language, with many different accents and tones that change the meaning of words.
Origins of diacritic
from Greek 'diakritikos', meaning 'distinguishing'
Summary: diacritic in Brief
A 'diacritic' [ˌdaɪəˈkrɪtɪk] is a mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning. It can be an accent or cedilla, and changes the sound or meaning of a letter. Examples include the tilde in Spanish and the umlaut in German. 'Diacritic' is also used in phrases like 'diacritic mark' and 'diacritic system.'
