allophony

A1L1L1O1P3H4O1N1Y4
UK/əˈlɒ.fə.ni/US/əˈlɑ.fə.ni/US/ˈæ.lə.foʊ.ni/

noun

Variation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme; the state of a phoneme having multiple allophones.

OriginEnglish allo- ← Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos) ← Proto-Hellenic *ál͏̌l͏̌os →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounallophony (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesVariation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme; the state of a phoneme having multiple allophones.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élyos
  3. Proto-Hellenic*ál͏̌l͏̌os
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos)
  5. Englishallo-
  6. Englishallophony

From allo- + -phony.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish allofonia
  • allofoniavariation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme
Greek αλλοφωνία
  • αλλοφωνία (allofonía)variation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme
Italian allofonia
  • allofoniavariation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme
Polish alofonia
  • alofoniavariation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme
Portuguese alofonia
  • alofoniavariation in the phonetic realizations of a phoneme
Cite this entry
APA

allophony. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allophony

MLA

“allophony.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allophony. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “allophony,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allophony.

Source: allophony on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.