phonological.

Relating to the organization and patterning of speech sounds in a language.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• phonological contrast
• phonological rule

On the page

The phonological contrast distinguished meanings in the language being studied.

A phonological rule described the change under the specified sound conditions.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Relational or grammatical-status adjective; ordinary degree comparison only where the characteristic genuinely allows it. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: language analysis, sense distinction, word formation analysis, precise reference. Disciplines: academic writing, linguistics, dictionary and usage analysis. Commonness: moderately common.