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ˬ

modifier letter voicing

Modifier Letter Voicing

ˬ is a specialist transcription mark whose meaning depends on the system and its position. In extIPA it marks voicing before or after a sound; older IPA and documented Akha and Lahu conventions use it for pitch. Check the notation around it before reading it.

Text symbol
Search it as
ipa · extipa · upa · voicing mark · prevoicing · postvoicing · low tone · low-falling tone
Shows up in
Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws

What ˬ means

It marks a pronunciation detail; the system decides which one. In extIPA, the extended International Phonetic Alphabet used to transcribe disordered speech, a mark before a sound means voicing starts before that sound. After a sound, it means voicing continues beyond it.

Older IPA publications used ˬ as a separate low-tone mark for dipping (falling-rising) pitch before 1989. A 1968 Akha dictionary example shows the mark in use by then; it establishes an example, not its origin.

A 2006 SIL proposal records it for low tone in Akha and low-falling tone in Lahu. The Uralic Phonetic Alphabet (UPA), a transcription system used in Uralic-language study, uses it for less lip rounding. In older IPA, ˇ marked high pitch; Chao tone letters show pitch contours with different symbols. The glyph is shared, but the conventions differ.

What it means when someone sends it to you

5 readings
ˬ before z
ExtIPA pre-voicing: voicing starts before z is articulated.
Zˬ in extIPA
ExtIPA post-voicing: voicing continues after z.
ˬ after an Akha syllable
The cited Akha spelling uses the mark for low tone.
ˬ after a Lahu syllable
The cited Lahu convention uses the mark for low-falling tone.
ˬ in older IPA tone notation
Low dipping pitch: the voice falls and then rises.

Don't confuse it with

1
◌̬
ˬ vs ◌̬: ◌̬ is a combining mark written under a letter to show voicing; ˬ is a separate spacing character whose position can mark voicing timing.

Questions people ask

1

Why does ˬ show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.

How to type ˬ

Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 02EC, then Alt+X to get ˬ.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “modifier letter voicing”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 02ec, then Enter or Space.
HTML
ˬ
CSS
\02EC
How to type ˬ
In an editor with Unicode hex input, enter 02EC and confirm; the key sequence depends on the editor or operating system.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
ˬ
HTML hex
ˬ
CSS content
content: "\02EC";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%CB%AC
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
2
UTF-8 bytes

A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.

Families this belongs to

1

Accents & marks659 symbols

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