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A monophthong (, ) is a vowel sound characterized by a relatively stable articulatory configuration throughout its duration. During the production of a monophthong, the tongue does not undergo significant vertical (height) or horizontal (front–back) movement toward a different position of articulation. For this reason, monophthongs are commonly referred to as pure vowels.
Monophthongs are contrasted with , in which vowel quality changes (or glides) within a single syllable, and with hiatus, in which two adjacent vowel sounds belong to separate syllables.
The term derives from Ancient Greek μονόφθογγος (monóphthongos, “single sound”), formed from μόνος (mónos, “single”) and φθόγγος (phthóngos, “sound”).
In a number of languages, historical monophthongization has caused that originally represented diphthongs to be reinterpreted as denoting monophthongal vowel sounds.
Index of phonetics articles
Table of vowels
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