abstract:A heptagraph is a seven-letter sequence of letters that behaves as a unit and is not the sum of its parts, such as the seven-letter German sequence ⟨schtsch⟩, used to transliterate Russian ⟨щ⟩, as in ⟨Borschtsch⟩ for ⟨борщ⟩ "borscht". ⟨Schtsch⟩, as the transliteration of ⟨щ⟩, thus represents the voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative , similar to the pronunciation of ⟨sh⟩ in sheep (but longer).