Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

diacritic

noun

/ˌdaɪ.əˈkrɪt.ɪk/

Definition

A symbol added to a letter that alters its pronunciation or distinguishes it from similar letters.

Examples

The letter ‘é’ is an example of a diacritic that indicates a specific pronunciation.
In French, diacritics are common, such as in ‘café’ and ‘naïve’.
The absence of diacritics can lead to misunderstandings in languages like Arabic.

Meaning

Diacritics are marks used in writing systems to indicate a modification of a letter’s phonetic value or to differentiate between similar letters or words.