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trigraph

American  
[trahy-graf, -grahf] / ˈtraɪ græf, -grɑf /

noun

  1. a group of three letters representing a single speech sound, as eau in beau.

trigraph British  
/ ˈtraɪˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf, traɪˈɡræfɪk /

noun

  1. a combination of three letters used to represent a single speech sound or phoneme, such as eau in French beau

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • trigraphic adjective

Etymology

Origin of trigraph

First recorded in 1830–40; tri- + -graph

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.

A vowel trigraph in which all three of the vowels are sounded.

From 1001 Questions and Answers on Orthography and Reading by Hathaway, B. A.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.