Meaning of the word allophone in English

What does allophone mean in English? Explore the meaning, pronunciation, and specific usage of this word with Lingoland.

allophone

US /ˈæl.ə.foʊn/
UK /ˈæl.ə.fəʊn/
"allophone" picture

Noun

any of the various phonetic realizations of a phoneme in a language, which do not change the meaning of a word.

Example:
The aspirated 'p' in 'pin' and the unaspirated 'p' in 'spin' are allophones of the phoneme /p/.
Understanding allophones helps in studying phonetics and phonology.