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Difficulty: Very hardDiphthongs

Which word featuring the diphthong sound /ɔɪ/ correctly completes the sentence below?

Answer:To signal the hazardous shallow water ahead, the sailors anchored a bright yellow 【buoy】.

Answer

The word 'buoy' correctly completes the sentence as it contains the target diphthong sound /ɔɪ/.
The word 'buoy' is pronounced /bɔɪ/ in standard Received Pronunciation, which features the diphthong sound /ɔɪ/. Although the spelling 'uoy' is highly non-standard, it forms the diphthong /ɔɪ/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target phonetic sound specified in the prompt.
The target sound is the diphthong /ɔɪ/ (as heard in 'boy' or 'coin').
A diphthong requires a continuous phonetic glide from one vowel articulation quality to another within a single syllable.
2
Analyze the phonetic transcription and spelling of the target word 'buoy'.
The word 'buoy' is transcribed phonetically as /bɔɪ/ in standard Received Pronunciation.
Despite its deceptive orthography containing the letters 'u-o-y', the syllable nucleus is the diphthong sound /ɔɪ/.
3
Confirm semantic fit and phonetic compliance.
'buoy' functions contextually as a floating nautical marker and satisfies the phonetic requirement.
It fulfills both sentence meaning and the requirement for the diphthong /ɔɪ/.

Key Concept

Identification of the diphthong /ɔɪ/ in words with deceptive orthography
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Diphthongs

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