Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
diacritic
noun
/ˈdaɪ.əˌkrɪt.ɪk/
Definition
A mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation or to distinguish between similar words.
Examples
- The letter ‘é’ in café shows a diacritic, indicating the specific pronunciation of the vowel.
- In the word ‘naïve’, the diacritic over the ‘i’ specifies how to pronounce the vowel.
- Languages like French and Spanish frequently use diacritics, as seen in ‘français’ and ‘año’.
Meaning
Diacritics are symbols placed above, below, or through letters in some languages to alter the sound or meaning of the letter to which they are added.
Synonyms
- Accent mark
- Superscript
