dissimilation

noun/dɪˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/

Frequency rank: #19,984 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

A sound change in which one of two similar or identical sounds in a word becomes less like the other.

Illustration for the English word “dissimilation”

Example sentence

The linguist explained that dissimilation caused the two similar sounds in the word to become distinct over time.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 19,901–20,000