  Engineering atomic-scale defects is crucial for realizing wafer-scale,
single-crystalline transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers for electronic
devices. However, connecting atomic-scale defects to larger morphologies poses
a significant challenge. Using electron microscopy and atomistic simulations,
we provide insights into WS2 crystal growth mechanisms, providing a direct link
between synthetic conditions and the microstructure. Dark-field TEM imaging of
coalesced monolayer WS2 films illuminates defect arrays that atomic-resolution
STEM imaging identifies as translational grain boundaries. Imaging reveals the
films to have nearly a single orientation with imperfectly stitched domains.
Through atomic-resolution imaging and ReaxFF reactive force field-based
molecular dynamics simulations, we observe two types of translational mismatch
and discuss their atomic structures and origin. Our results indicate that the
mismatch results from relatively fast growth rates. Through statistical
analysis of >1300 facets, we demonstrate that the macrostructural features are
constructed from nanometer-scale building blocks, describing the system across
sub-{\AA}ngstrom to multi-micrometer length scales.
