Diphthong

[dɪfˈtɔŋ]

/[dɪfˈtɔŋ]/ noun

The verdict

“Diphthong” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Folge von zwei Vokalen in einer Silbe, die phonetisch als Einheit aufgefasst werden

Corpus desk

Index DE-diphthong · Diphthong · German

Diphthong · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Diphthong
PropertyValue
HeadwordDiphthong
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[dɪfˈtɔŋ]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Diphthong“ im Deutschen

Diphthongsitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Diphthong is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [dɪfˈtɔŋ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Folge von zwei Vokalen in einer Silbe, die phonetisch als Einheit aufgefasst werden".

No generated misspelling entries exist for Diphthong in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Diphthong, spelled D-I-P-H-T-H-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Folge von zwei Vokalen in einer Silbe, die phonetisch als Einheit aufgefasst werden

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Diphthong appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Im Deutschen gibt es folgende Diphthonge: [aɪ̯] (Hai, Ei), [aʊ̯] (Bau), [ɔɪ̯] (Heu, Gebräu) und [ʊɪ̯] (nur in Interjektionen und Fremdwörtern; z.B. hui, pfui, ui; Uigure).
  2. „Im Gegensatz zu den Monophthongen (einfachen Vokalen) bestehen Diphthonge (Zwielaute, Doppellaute) aus zwei Vokalen, von denen der eine silbisch und der andere unsilbisch ist, die also beide zur selben Silbe gehören.“

Synonyms

DoppellautDoppellauterDoppelvokalZweilautZwielaut

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Diphthong"?
"Diphthong" is spelled D-I-P-H-T-H-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [dɪfˈtɔŋ].
What does "Diphthong" mean?
As a noun, "Diphthong" means: Folge von zwei Vokalen in einer Silbe, die phonetisch als Einheit aufgefasst werden
How do you pronounce "Diphthong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Diphthong" is [dɪfˈtɔŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Diphthong" come from?
"Diphthong" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list