Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
devoiced
adjective
/dɪˈvɔɪst/
Definition
To make a sound voiceless or to remove the vocal cord vibration from a sound.
Examples
- The final sound in the word ‘have’ is often devoiced in fast speech, sounding like ‘haf’.
- In certain languages, like Japanese, some voiced consonants are devoiced at the end of words.
Meaning
In linguistics, ‘devoiced’ refers to the process where a voiced sound, which typically uses vocal cord vibration, is pronounced without that vibration, resulting in a voiceless sound.
Synonyms
- voiceless
- unvoiced
- silent
