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Multiple Choice

Which term describes two or more adjacent vowels in a syllable that present a single sound, with the first typically long and the second silent?

Two adjacent vowels that together make one vowel sound are called a vowel digraph. This term is used because the two letters work as a unit to produce a single sound, often with the first vowel carrying the long-vowel quality and the second not producing a separate vowel sound in that syllable. For example, in words like boat or team, the paired vowels create one long sound rather than two distinct sounds. This differs from a diphthong, where the sound itself glides from one vowel to another within the same syllable. Phonogram and affix refer to broader concepts and word-building elements, not specifically to two vowels forming one sound.

Two adjacent vowels that together make one vowel sound are called a vowel digraph. This term is used because the two letters work as a unit to produce a single sound, often with the first vowel carrying the long-vowel quality and the second not producing a separate vowel sound in that syllable. For example, in words like boat or team, the paired vowels create one long sound rather than two distinct sounds. This differs from a diphthong, where the sound itself glides from one vowel to another within the same syllable. Phonogram and affix refer to broader concepts and word-building elements, not specifically to two vowels forming one sound.