io

In American English

The 'io' multigraph is used in various words, with its pronunciation influenced by the letters that follow or precede it.

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.

Pie Chart of Digraph 'io' Pronunciation in American English

Digraph 'io'

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

region /ɹiːdʒən/

decision /dɪˈsɪʒən/

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

attention /əˈtɛn.ʃən/

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/

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 /ˈɪdiəm/

champion /ˈtʃɛmpiən/

chariot /ˈtʃæɹiət/

period /ˈpɪɹiəd/

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/

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/

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

periodic /ˌpɪɹiɑdɪk/

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