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 ˈoʊ/)
Common Sound(s) /ə/, /ioʊ/, /iə/, /aɪə/, /aɪoʊ/, /iɑ/

Pie Chart of Digraph 'io' Pronunciation in American English

Digraph 'io'

Sound 1: /ə/

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

region /ɹiːdʒən/

decision /dɪˈsɪʒən/

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

attention /əˈtɛn.ʃən/

Sound 2: /ioʊ/

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

portfolio /pɔɹtˈfoʊ.lioʊ/

cardio /kɑɹ.dioʊ/

studio /ˈstudioʊ/

scenario /sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/

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.

idiom /ˈɪdm/

champion /ˈtʃɛmpn/

chariot /ˈtʃæɹt/

period /ˈpɪɹd/

Sound 4: /aɪə/

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

lion /ˈlaɪən/

violin /ˌvaɪəˈlɪn/

priory /ˈpɹaɪəɹ.i/

violate /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/

Sound 5: /aɪoʊ/

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

viola /vaɪoʊlə/

biopic /ˈbaɪoʊpɪk/

biofuel /bˌaɪoʊfjˈuːəl/

bio /ˈbaɪoʊ/

Sound 5: /iɑ/

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

periodic /ˌpɪɹdɪk/

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