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phonogram
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phonogram

linguistics
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Quick Summary

A phonogram is a character or symbol used to represent a word, syllable, or phoneme. It can also refer to a sequence of letters that have the same phonetic value across different words, such as the "ight" in "bright," "fight," and "flight".1

Writing systems can be categorized based on what they represent. Logographic systems use symbols for whole words. Syllabic systems use symbols for syllables, and alphabetic systems use symbols for individual sounds (phonemes). Phonograms fall under the broader category of sound-based writing systems, also known as phonographic systems.23

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. phonogram
  2. logogram
  3. writing - Types of writing systems
  4. phonautograph

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