Phonetic symbols: diacritics

To draw phonetic diacritical symbols in the Picture window or in the TextGridEditor, make sure that you have installed the Charis and/or Doulos SIL font, for instance from `sil.org` or from `praat.org`. You can either type the symbols directly (if your computer has an input method for them), or use the backslash trigraphs in the following list.

Diacritics above the letter:

  n̩ `n\|v` (combining vertical line below): syllabic consonant
  b̥ `b\0v` (combining ring below): voiceless (e.g. lenis voiceless plosive, voiceless nasal or approximant)
  s̬ `s\vv` (combining caron below): voiced
  o̞ `o\Tv` (combining down tack below, lowering): lowered vowel; or turns a fricative into an approximant
  o̝ `o\T^` (combining up tack below, raising): raised vowel; or turns an approximant into a fricative
  o̘ `o\T(` (combining left tack below, atr): advanced tongue root
  o̙ `o\T)` (combining right tack below, rtr): retracted tongue root
  e̠ `e\-v` (combining macron below): backed
  o̟ `o\+v` (combining plus sign below): fronted
  o̤ `o\:v` (combining diaeresis below): breathy voice
  o̰ `o\~v` (combining tilde below): creaky voice
  d̪ `d\Nv` (combining bridge below): dental (as opposed to alveolar)
  d̺ `d\Uv` (combining inverted bridge below): apical
  d̻ `d\Dv` (combining square below): laminal
  u̯ `u\nv` (combining inverted breve below): nonsyllabic
  e̹ `e\3v` (combining right half ring below): slightly rounded
  u̜ `u\cv` (combining left half ring below): slightly unrounded
  d̼ `d\mv` (combining seagull below): lingiolabial
  a‿b `a\_ub` undertie (liaison, if spaces don't mean breaks in your transcription)

Diacritics below the letter:

  ɣ̊ `\gf\0^` (combining ring above): voiceless
  ɛ̋ `\ef\''` (combining double acute accent): extra high tone
  ɛ́ `\ef\'^` (combining acute accent): high tone
  ɛ̄ `\ef\-^` (combining macron): mid tone (or so)
  ɛ̀ `\ef\``^` (combining grave accent): low tone
  ɛ̏ `\ef\````` (combining double grave accent): extra low tone
  ɛ᷄ `\ef\-'` (combining macron–acute): high-rising tone
  ɛ᷇ `\ef\'-` (combining acute–macron): high-falling tone
  ɛ᷅ `\ef\``-` (combining grave–macron): low-rising tone
  ɛ᷆ `\ef\-``` (combining macron–grave): low-falling tone
  ɛ᷈ `\ef\rf` (combining grave–acute–grave): rising–falling tone
  ɛ᷉ `\ef\fr` (combining acute–grave–acute): falling–rising tone
  ɛ̃ `\ef\~^` (combining tilde): nasalized
  ɛ̌ `\ef\v^` (combining caron, háček, wedge): rising tone
  ɛ̂ `\ef\^^` (combining circumflex accent): falling tone
  ö `o\:^` (combining diaeresis): centralized
  e̽ `e\x^` (combining x above): mid-centralized
  ɛ̆ `\ef\N^` (combining breve): extra short
  k͡p `k\lip`, t͡s `t\lis` (combining double inverted breve, ligature): simultaneous articulation, or single segment
  m͜b `k\lix`, m͜b `k\LSx` (combining double breve below, ligature): simultaneous articulation, or single segment

Diacritics struck through the letter (overlays):

  d̸ `d\//` (combining long solidus overlay): ?
  d̶ `d\-/` (combining long stroke overlay): ?
  d̴ `d\~/` (combining tilde overlay): velarized or pharyngealized, mainly used for “l”, although l̴ `l\~/` can more easily be typed as ɫ `\l~` (otherwise, velarization can more clearly be rendered as e.g. dˠ `d\^g` or dᵚ `d\^M` or dᶭ `d\^G`, and pharyngealization as dˁ `d\^9`).

In-line prefixes:

  ˈ `\'1` primary stress
  ˌ `\'2` secondary stress
  ꜛ `\|u` (modifier letter raised up arrow): upstep
  ꜜ `\|d` (modifier letter raised down arrow): downstep
  ↗ `\NE` (north east arrow): global rise
  ↘ `\SE` (south east arrow): global fall

In-line suffixes:

  ː `\:f` the phonetic length sign
  ˑ `\.f` half length
  t̚ `t\cn` (combining left angle above, corner): unreleased plosive
  ɜ˞ `\er\hr` (combining rhotic hook): rhotacized vowel
  pʼ `p\ap` apostrophe (for ejectives)
  ˥ `\-5` extra high tone
  ˦ `\-4` high tone
  ˧ `\-3` mid tone
  ˨ `\-2` low tone
  ˩ `\-1` extra low tone
  (these last five can be combined, e.g. ˥˩ `\-5\-1` falling, ˧˥ `\-3\-5` high-rising, ˨˥˨ `\-2\-5\-2` rising–falling, or ˨˩˧ `\-2\-1\-3` low falling–rising)

Other in-line symbols:

  | `\|f` the phonetic stroke

Superscripts:

  tʰ `t\^h` aspiration
  bʱ `b\^H` voiced aspiration (breathiness)
  tʲ `t\^j` palatalization
  tˠ `t\^g`, tᵚ `t\^M`, tᶭ `t\^G` velarization
  kʷ `k\^w` rounding
  tᶣ `t\^Y` rounding with palatalization
  aˀ `a\^?` glottalization
  tˁ `t\^9` pharyngealization
  tˡ `t\^l` lateral release
  tⁿ `t\^n`, pᵐ `p\^m`, kᵑ `k\^N` nasal release
  tˢ `t\^s`, kˣ `k\^x`, pᶠ `p\^f` affrication
  tʸ `t\^y` (palatalization in a deprecated Americanist notation)

Digraphs:

  ʦ `\ts` t–s ligature
  ʧ `\tS` tesh ligature
  ʣ `\dz` d–z ligature
  ʤ `\dZ` dezh ligature

### Links to this page

- Phonetic symbols
- What was new in 5.3?