D (letter): Difference between revisions

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In the past forms of verbs '''d''' sounds like '''t''' if the preceding consonant is also unvoiced: '''loòked''' (*loòkt), '''híssed''' (*híst) - except in the case of '''t''', after which it is necessary to sound the '''e''' as '''í''': '''ẁanted''' (*wóntíd).
In the past forms of verbs '''d''' sounds like '''t''' if the preceding consonant is also unvoiced: '''loòked''' (*loòkt), '''híssed''' (*híst) - except in the case of '''t''', after which it is necessary to sound the '''e''' as '''í''': '''ẁanted''' (*wóntíd).


'''d''' is often found before '''g''' to make it clear that the '''g''' will have the soft '''j''' sound, although here it is really redundant, as the '''g''' is usually followed by a front vowel, '''e, i''' or '''y''': '''bádge, lédge, bádger, lédger, rídge, brídge, dódge, dódgy, púdgy, édge, édgy, lódger, lódging, Hódges, cúdgel, wédge'''. But in '''judgment''' and '''acknowledgment''' the '''e''' is optionally omitted after dg. And in '''Édgar''', the '''d''' and '''g''' are clearly separate sounds.
'''d''' is often found before '''g''' to make it clear that the '''g''' will have the soft '''j''' sound, although here it is really redundant, as the '''g''' is usually followed by a front vowel, '''e, i''' or '''y''': '''bádge, lédge, bádger, lédger, rídge, brídge, dódge, dódgy, púdgy, édge, édgy, lódger, lódging, Hódges, cúdgel, wédge'''. But in '''júdgement''' and '''acknówledgement''' the '''e''' is optionally omitted after '''dg''', without changing the pronunciation: '''júdgment''', '''acknówledgment'''. And in '''Édgar''', the '''d''' and (hard) '''g''' are clearly separate sounds, *Éd-gə(r).


'''d''' is often doubled, to emphasise the preceding short vowel: '''míddle, sádder, ádd, múddle, gíddy, ódd, pádding, wédded'''.  There can be an accidental sustained double '''d''' in '''gránddad''' – or it can be simply '''grándad'''.
'''d''' is often doubled, to emphasise the preceding short vowel: '''míddle, sádder, ádd, múddle, gíddy, ódd, pádding, wédded'''.  There can be an accidental sustained double '''d''' in '''gránddad''' – or it can be simply '''grándad'''.

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D, d is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the fourth letter of most variants, being placed after C and before E, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈdiː], like that of the River Dee.

D is also the Roman numeral representing the number 500.

Use in English

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  

d is like t but voiced (compare dén and tén; the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings): the tongue touches the upper teeth: dóg, héad, dím, blòod, woòden, dàrling, dâinty, mádder, dûe, dāft, admîre, nâdir, hëard, bïrd, wörd, sád, bád, mád, gód, cód, said (*séd).

In the past forms of verbs d sounds like t if the preceding consonant is also unvoiced: loòked (*loòkt), híssed (*híst) - except in the case of t, after which it is necessary to sound the e as í: ẁanted (*wóntíd).

d is often found before g to make it clear that the g will have the soft j sound, although here it is really redundant, as the g is usually followed by a front vowel, e, i or y: bádge, lédge, bádger, lédger, rídge, brídge, dódge, dódgy, púdgy, édge, édgy, lódger, lódging, Hódges, cúdgel, wédge. But in júdgement and acknówledgement the e is optionally omitted after dg, without changing the pronunciation: júdgment, acknówledgment. And in Édgar, the d and (hard) g are clearly separate sounds, *Éd-gə(r).

d is often doubled, to emphasise the preceding short vowel: míddle, sádder, ádd, múddle, gíddy, ódd, pádding, wédded. There can be an accidental sustained double d in gránddad – or it can be simply grándad.

d begins consonant clusters: Édgbaston, adhêre, crâdle, admít, kídney, dréss, Édsel, advîse, ádze.

And flòod and blòod rhyme with múd (cf. moôd, broôd, foôd; hoòd, woòd, goòd).

Scientific uses

D is the symbol for the isotope deuterium.