[ 'fəʊni:m ]
■ noun Phonetics any of the distinct units of sound that distinguish one word from another, e.g. p , b , d , and t in pad , pat , bad , and bat .
Derivatives
phonemic -'ni:mɪk adjective
phonemics plural noun
Origin
C19: from Fr. phonème , from Gk phōnēma 'sound, speech', from phōnein 'speak'.