How Does Phonological Processes: Dissimilation (Part 1 of 2) Work?

Phonological processes are like rules that help sounds change when we're talking, and dissimilation is one rule where sounds become different to make speech easier.

Imagine you're playing with building blocks, and you stack two of the same blocks on top of each other. It might be a little wobbly. Now imagine you change one block so they’re not the same anymore, it makes your tower more stable! That’s like dissimilation in language: when two similar sounds become different to make speech smoother.

Let’s say you're saying the word “fifth.” At first, you might think it's spelled with a “th” sound at the end. But if you listen closely, sometimes people say it like “fift,” making that last sound more like a t than a th.

It’s like when you're eating candy and you have two pieces of the same flavor, they might both taste sweet, but changing one to a different flavor can make your experience more interesting. That's what happens with dissimilation: sounds change to be less alike, helping speech flow better.