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Meaning & use

disyllabic words

noun, adjective·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˌdaɪ.sɪˈlæb.ɪk ˈwɜːdz/
US/ˌdaɪ.sɪˈlæb.ɪk ˈwɝːdz/

Meanings

  1. nounpluraltechnical

    Words that consist of two syllables, such as 'table' or 'happy'.

    Grammar: Always plural; the singular is 'disyllabic word'. Use it when talking about pronunciation or poetry.

    Patterns

    • a list of disyllabic words
    • disyllabic words in English
    • stress in disyllabic words

    The teacher asked us to find ten disyllabic words in the poem.

    In English, many disyllabic words have stress on the first syllable, like 'table' and 'happy'.

    Linguists study how disyllabic words are pronounced in different accents.

  2. adjectivenot comparabletechnical

    Having two syllables; used to describe a word or phrase with two syllables.

    Grammar: Used before a noun, e.g. 'a disyllabic word'. It is not usually used after a verb.

    Patterns

    • a disyllabic word
    • disyllabic stress pattern

    The word 'window' is disyllabic.

    She analyzed the disyllabic structure of the phrase.

Common combinations

disyllabic words in English
Disyllabic words in English often have a clear stress pattern.
list of disyllabic words
The student made a list of disyllabic words for her project.
stress in disyllabic words
Stress in disyllabic words can fall on the first or second syllable.
common disyllabic words
Common disyllabic words include 'water', 'mother', and 'brother'.

Synonyms and how they differ

two-syllable words
This is the everyday term; 'disyllabic' is more technical and formal.
bisyllabic words
A rarer variant with the same meaning; 'disyllabic' is more common in modern linguistics.

Word family

disyllable noun
A word or metrical foot with two syllables.
disyllabically adverb
In a disyllabic manner; rarely used.

Commonly confused: disyllabic words or monosyllabic? disyllabic words or polysyllabic?

disyllabic words vs monosyllabic

Means having one syllable, not two. 'Cat' is monosyllabic; 'table' is disyllabic.

disyllabic words vs polysyllabic

Means having many syllables, usually more than three. 'Disyllabic' specifically means exactly two.

Practice

Which of these words is disyllabic?

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