dittograph: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowSpecialist / Academic
Quick answer
What does “dittograph” mean?
A letter or word unintentionally repeated in writing, printing, or inscription.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A letter or word unintentionally repeated in writing, printing, or inscription.
In textual criticism and paleography, an instance where a scribe or copyist writes a letter, syllable, or sequence of letters twice where it should appear only once, creating a duplication error.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in usage, spelling, or meaning. The term belongs to an international academic register.
Connotations
Neutral, purely descriptive of a textual phenomenon.
Frequency
Equally rare in both varieties, confined to specialist discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “dittograph” in a Sentence
The editor identified a dittograph in line 12.This manuscript contains several dittographs.The word 'the' appears as a dittograph ('thethe').Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “dittograph” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The dittographic error was obvious to the trained palaeographer.
American English
- A dittographic reading was proposed as an explanation for the variant.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Primary context. Used in scholarly articles on textual criticism, manuscript studies, philology, and editing.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Used as a precise descriptor in palaeography, codicology, and digital text processing.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “dittograph”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “dittograph”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “dittograph”
- Misspelling as 'ditograph' (one 't').
- Using it as a verb (to dittograph). The verb is 'to commit dittography'.
- Confusing it with a general typo or spelling mistake.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. While a dittograph is a type of error, it is a specific technical term for an unintended duplication in writing or printing, often used in the analysis of historical manuscripts. A modern 'typo' is a broader category.
No. The term is a noun. The related action is described by the noun 'dittography' or the phrase 'to commit dittography'.
It is most frequently used in philology, textual criticism, palaeography (the study of ancient writing), manuscript studies, and scholarly editing.
A scribe copying the word 'that' might accidentally write it twice in sequence ('that that'), creating a dittograph. In printing, 'the the' is a classic example.
A letter or word unintentionally repeated in writing, printing, or inscription.
Dittograph is usually specialist / academic in register.
Dittograph: in British English it is pronounced /ˈdɪt.ə.ɡrɑːf/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈdɪt̬.ə.ɡræf/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'DITTO' means 'the same again' and 'GRAPH' means writing. A 'dittograph' is writing the same thing again by mistake.
Conceptual Metaphor
A ghostly echo in writing; a stutter of the pen.
Practice
Quiz
What is the opposite error to a dittograph?