Meaning & use
pictographs
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“pictographs” is a form of “pictograph”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Simple pictures or symbols that stand for words, ideas, or objects, used in early writing systems.
Grammar: Countable; the singular is 'pictograph'. You can say 'a pictograph' or 'pictographs'.
Patterns
- a pictograph for something
- pictographs on something
- ancient pictographs
The cave walls were covered with pictographs showing animals and hunters.
Ancient pictographs often represented everyday objects like sun, water, and fish.
Scholars study these pictographs to understand how early people communicated.
nouncountablemathematics
A chart that uses small pictures or symbols to represent numbers or amounts.
Grammar: Countable; common in school math. Each picture stands for a certain number.
Patterns
- a pictograph showing something
- make a pictograph
- read a pictograph
The teacher asked us to make a pictograph of our favorite fruits.
In the pictograph, each apple symbol represents five apples sold.
The students learned to read a pictograph about rainfall.
Word forms
| singular | pictograph |
|---|
Common combinations
- ancient pictographs
- Ancient pictographs were found in the cave.
- draw pictographs
- The children drew pictographs to tell a story.
- pictographs on the wall
- There were pictographs on the wall of the tomb.
- a pictograph of
- She made a pictograph of the class's pets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hieroglyphs
- A specific type of pictographic writing, especially ancient Egyptian; more specialized than 'pictographs'.
- symbols
- A general word for any sign that stands for something; not necessarily pictures.
- ideograms
- Symbols that represent ideas rather than sounds; often used in linguistics.
Word family
- pictographic adjective
- Relating to or using pictographs.
- pictography noun
- The use of pictographs as a writing system.
Commonly confused: pictographs or pictorial?
pictographs vs pictorial
An adjective meaning 'shown in pictures', not a noun for the symbols themselves.
Practice
What does 'pictographs' mean in the sentence: 'The students made a pictograph to show how many books each class read'?
Choose one answer.
In this school context, a pictograph is a chart that uses picture symbols to stand for amounts. Option 1 is wrong because it describes a text, not a chart; option 2 is a different meaning of the word; option 3 contradicts the idea of pictures.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pictographs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.