Hiatus (linguistics)

Hi there little one, the word "hiatus" in linguistics means that there are two vowel sounds that happen right next to each other but are in separate syllables. When we speak, our words are made up of syllables - these are like tiny chunks or beats of sound that we use to make up the words.

For example, in the word "rainbow", there are two syllables "rain" and "bow". In each syllable, there is one vowel sound - "ai" in "rain" and "ow" in "bow". These sounds are not right next to each other, so there is no hiatus in the word "rainbow".

But let's take a look at the word "create". It has two syllables - "cre" and "ate". In the first syllable "cre", there is the vowel sound "e". In the second syllable "ate", there is another vowel sound "a" right after the "e" sound. These two vowel sounds are right next to each other, but they are in separate syllables, so there is a hiatus in the word "create".

Some people find it tricky to pronounce words with a hiatus because it requires you to quickly switch between two vowel sounds in separate syllables. But with practice, you'll be able to say these words perfectly!