Definitions for phoneme
phoneme
pho·neme
Spelling: [foh-neem]
IPA: /ˈfoʊ nim/
Phoneme is a 7 letter English word.
It's valid Scrabble word worth 14 points.
It's valid Words with friends word worth 16 points.
You can make 113 anagrams from letters in phoneme (eehmnop).
Definitions for phoneme
noun
-
any of a small set of units, usually about 20 to 60 in number, and different for each language, considered to be the basic distinctive units of speech sound by which morphemes, words, and sentences are represented. They are arrived at for any given language by determining which differences in sound function to indicate a difference in meaning, so that in English the difference in sound and meaning between pit and bit is taken to indicate the existence of different labial phonemes, while the difference in sound between the unaspirated p of spun and the aspirated p of pun, since it is never the only distinguishing feature between two different words, is not taken as ground for setting up two different p phonemes in English.
Compare distinctive feature (def 1).
Origin of phoneme
1890-95; French phonème Greek phṓnēma sound, equivalent to phōnē-, verbid stem of phōneîn to make a sound (derivative of phonḗ sound, voice) + -ma noun suffix denoting result of action
Examples for phoneme
There is also a phoneme of stress which has a very low contrastive function.