In the following lesson, the 'io' digraph will be discussed in terms of its phonetic representations.

Digraphs are pairs of letters that combine to produce a distinct sound.

Digraph

io

Name

io (pronounced /ˈaɪ ˈəʊ/)

Common Sound(s)

/ə/, /iəʊ/, /iə/, /aɪə/, /aɪəʊ/, /iɑ/

Digraph 'io'

Sound 1: /ə/

The digraph 'io' sounds like /ə/ in unstressed syllables. This typically happens in suffixes:

Example

region /ˈɹiːdʒən/

decision /dɪˈsɪʒən/

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

attention /əˈtɛn.ʃən/

Sound 2: /iəʊ/

The 'io' digraph represents the sound /iəʊ/, often heard in words with a smooth, flowing pronunciation.

Example

portfolio /pɔːtˈfəʊ.liˌəʊ/

radio /ˈɹeɪdiˌəʊ/

studio /ˈstʃuːdiəʊ/

scenario /sɪˈnɑːɹi.əʊ/

Sound 3: /iə/

The 'io' digraph also produces the /iə/ sound, blending a short 'i' with a soft 'uh,' commonly found in words where 'io' follows a consonant.

Example

idiom /ˈɪdi.əm/

champion /ˈtʃæmpn/

stallion/ˈstæli.ən/

period /ˈpɪə.ɹi.əd/

Sound 4: /aɪə/

The 'io' digraph represents the sound /aɪə/, combining a diphthong and a schwa in a fluid sequence.

Example

lion /ˈlaɪən/

violin /ˌvaɪəˈlɪn/

priory /ˈpɹaɪəɹ.i/

violate /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/

Sound 5: /aɪəʊ/

The 'io' digraph also represents the diphthong /aɪəʊ/, blending the vowel sounds /aɪ/ and /əʊ/ in English pronunciation.

Example

bio /ˈbaɪəʊ/

biopic /ˈb.əʊ.pɪk/

biofuel /ˈb.əʊˌfjʊ(.ə)l/

Sound 5: /iɑ/

The 'io' digraph can also produce the sound /iɑ/, blending the vowel sounds of 'ee' and 'ah' into a single pronunciation.

Example

periodic /ˌpɪɹiˈɒdɪk/

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