In support of the above model, we observe several peaks in the CT region of the experimental absorption spectra for both DQI 27A and CQI 26A bridge compounds. The relative intensities of this series of peaks vary with connectivity. For example, in the T-27A-T DQI compound, the dominant transition is centered near 2.95 eV, with weak shoulders offset by approximately 0.2 eV on either side of the main transition. In the CQI analog (T-26A-T), the main peak is reduced in intensity while the relative oscillator strength of the shoulders is increased. A more pronounced effect is observed in P𝛃P, where the relative intensity of the shoulders becomes larger than the primary peak in P-26A-P (SI Figure ). While previous theoretical treatments of the absorption spectra in directly-bonded acene oligomers suggested that bright charge-transfer type transitions can emerge in cases of strong chromophore-chromophore coupling , neither the effect of the chemical bridge nor implications for the SF dynamics were considered. Here we see that both a large 𝐶𝑇 ## contribution to the CT excitation and a strong transition dipole moment are essential for fast iSF. The former is a signature of direct quantum mechanical coupling between the SFCs while the latter ensures that virtual excitation of the CT excited state efficiently couples the singlet and triplet pair states (SI). We note that while the role of virtual CT states in mediating the rate of SF has long been inferred, these data represent fundamental evidence of such an effect.