diphthong
noun
diph·thong
ˈdif-ˌthȯŋ 
ˈdip-
1
linguistics
: a gliding (see glide entry 1 sense 4) monosyllabic speech sound (such as the vowel combination at the end of toy) that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position of another
2
linguistics
: digraph
3
: the ligature (see ligature sense 4) æ or œ
Examples of diphthong in a Sentence
The sounds of “ou” in “out” and of “oy” in “boy” are diphthongs.
Recent Examples on the Web
That is why Pärt’s music in English, with its many single-syllable words, consonant clusters and diphthongs, sounds one way.
—
Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Think about it: Is there anything worse than losing your woman to a member of Oasis?
Better Man
Rated R for familiar vices and unfamiliar diphthongs.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Monday night they were said through tears, out loud, in a cacophony of accents — the lyric diphthongs and soft Ss of Yiddish crashing against the tight vowels and sharp Ts of modern Hebrew — a reminder of the multitude of Jewish ethnicities that call LA. home.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Nkechi asked him in those early months, in her broad, Americanized diphthongs.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Our heroes come from House Atreides, their elegance enhanced by that smooth classical diphthong.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2021
The reader can almost hear Camilleri’s longtime translator, Stephen Sartarelli, chuckling over his rendition of Catarella’s chatter as that mishmash of h-dropping Cockney and diphthong-slaying Brooklynese.
—Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2021
Even the big diphthongs that my grandfather’s years in the States had tamped down swelled back to their former glory in this company.
—Kevin Dettmar, The New Yorker, 20 July 2019
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Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Think about it: Is there anything worse than losing your woman to a member of Oasis?
Better Man
Rated R for familiar vices and unfamiliar diphthongs.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Monday night they were said through tears, out loud, in a cacophony of accents — the lyric diphthongs and soft Ss of Yiddish crashing against the tight vowels and sharp Ts of modern Hebrew — a reminder of the multitude of Jewish ethnicities that call LA. home.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Nkechi asked him in those early months, in her broad, Americanized diphthongs.
—Krithika Varagur, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Our heroes come from House Atreides, their elegance enhanced by that smooth classical diphthong.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2021
The reader can almost hear Camilleri’s longtime translator, Stephen Sartarelli, chuckling over his rendition of Catarella’s chatter as that mishmash of h-dropping Cockney and diphthong-slaying Brooklynese.
—Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2021
Even the big diphthongs that my grandfather’s years in the States had tamped down swelled back to their former glory in this company.
—Kevin Dettmar, The New Yorker, 20 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Diphthong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diphthong. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
diphthong
noun
diph·thong
ˈdif-ˌthȯŋ
ˈdip-
: a two-element speech sound that begins with the tongue position for one vowel and ends with the tongue position for another all within one syllable
the sounds of "ou" in "out" and of "oy" in "boy" are diphthongs
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