quadrigraphs

A quadrigraph is a sequence of four letters that represents a single sound or a combination of sounds. The term is often used in linguistics and phonetics to describe specific grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Unlike digraphs (two letters) or trigraphs (three letters), quadrigraphs are less common but can occur in various languages and writing systems. For example, in English, while rare, sequences like "ough" in words like "though" or "through" can sometimes be considered quadrigraphs depending on the pronunciation. The specific pronunciation associated with a quadrigraph can vary significantly, and context is often crucial for interpretation. The concept of quadrigraphs is part of the broader study of orthography, which examines the relationship between spelling and pronunciation. Identifying quadrigraphs helps in understanding the complexities of how written symbols represent spoken language.