Anteconsonantal

/ˌæntɪkənˈsoʊnəntəl/ adjective

Definition

Occurring or positioned before a consonant sound in a word or utterance.

Etymology

From 'ante-' (before) + 'consonantal' (relating to consonant sounds). A linguistic term for describing the position of sounds or letters relative to consonants.

Kelly Says

In linguistics, understanding anteconsonantal positions explains why English spelling is weird—like how 'soften' has a silent 't' in an anteconsonantal position!

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