Synonyms

phonological

American

[fohn-l-oj-i-kuhl, fon-] / ˌfoʊn lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl, ˌfɒn- /

Rarely phonologic

adjective

of or relating to phonology, the study of the distribution and patterning of speech sounds in languages generally.

The course covers phonological processes such as vowel harmony, voicing, syllabication, and the placement of stress.
of or relating to the inventory of sounds, and the patterns governing them, in a specific language.

I’m not used to this sound and don’t know how to pronounce it, as it doesn’t exist in my native English phonological system.

Other Word Forms

phonologically adverb

Etymology

Origin of phonological

phonolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rhyming, meanwhile, is an early part of phonological awareness — the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in oral language.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

It also implies that without native language instruction in schools, students may not be enhancing their oral language development and phonological awareness skills, despite having innate strengths in their native language, he said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 17, 2023

The letters P and F, which are alien to the Hausa phonological system, also influence how many northern Nigerians pronounce words containing them, so "police" can come out as "folice".

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023

In other words, phonological connections can influence speech errors.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2022

Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023