Two dots keep vowels apartSourced
Not region-specific · English meaning
Coöperate displays a pronunciation reminder
In the spelling coöperate, the diaeresis signals separate vowels and the division co-op-er-ate. The unmarked cooperate is now common, but some publications retain the dotted form. The dots provide a reading instruction rather than decoration.
The mark tells neighbouring vowels not to merge.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Diaeresis (diacritic) · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05