io

In British 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.

Digraph 'io'

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

region /ˈɹiːdʒən/

decision /dɪˈsɪʒən/

nation /ˈneɪʃən/

attention /əˈtɛn.ʃən/

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

portfolio /pɔːtˈfəʊ.liˌəʊ/

radio /ˈɹeɪdiˌəʊ/

studio /ˈstʃuːdiəʊ/

scenario /sɪˈnɑːɹi.əʊ/

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 /ˈɪdi.əm/

champion /ˈtʃæmpiən/

stallion/ˈstæli.ən/

period /ˈpɪə.ɹi.əd/

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 /aɪəʊ/, blending the vowel sounds /aɪ/ and /əʊ/ in English pronunciation.

bio /ˈbaɪəʊ/

biopic /ˈbaɪ.əʊ.pɪk/

biofuel /ˈbaɪ.əʊˌfjʊ(.ə)l/

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

periodic /ˌpɪɹiˈɒdɪk/

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