Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
diaeresis
Noun
/daɪˈɛr.ɪ.sɪs/
Definition
Diaeresis is a diacritical mark consisting of two dots placed over a vowel to indicate that it is to be pronounced separately from the vowel before it.
Examples
- Naïve – The diaeresis in ‘naïve’ indicates that the ‘a’ and ‘i’ are pronounced separately.
- Coöperate – In this word, the diaeresis shows that the ‘o’ and ‘o’ are to be pronounced distinctly.
- See the diaeresis in words like ‘Käse’ and ‘Zoë’.
Meaning
It helps clarify pronunciation, especially in cases where two vowels occur together in a word but are meant to be pronounced individually.
Synonyms
- Diacritic
- Umlaut (in some contexts)
- Trema
