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How many letters in the English alphabet?
26
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How many consonants are in the English alphabet?
The traditional answer is 19 with Y sometimes being a consonant and sometimes being a vowel.
However, early educators taught that W was a vowel when not at the beginning of a word, for example when used in the diphthongs OW, AW and EW. Dr. Webster took this one step further and considered W a vowel at all times, so WA would be considered a diphthong which made the wô sound like in the words want, water and waddle. The spelling rules in this card deck consider W to always be a vowel.
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How many vowels are in the English alphabet?
The traditional answer is 5 with Y sometimes being a consonant and sometimes being a vowel.
However, early educators taught that W was a vowel when not at the beginning of a word, for example when used in the diphthongs OW, AW and EW. Dr. Webster took this one step further and considered W a vowel at all times, so WA would be considered a diphthong which made the wô sound like in the words want, water and waddle. The spelling rules in this card deck consider W to always be a vowel.
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How many vowels must be in each syllable?
At least one.
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What is a diphthong?
Two vowels united together in one sound and act as one vowel. Therefore, it can be used to form a syllable.
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What is a triphthong?
Three vowels united together in one sound and act as one vowel. Therefore, it can be used to form a syllable.
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What is a pure diphthong?
A pure diphthong is one in which both sounds are united. Example: loud
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What is an impure diphthong?
A diphthong in which only one of the two vowels is sounded. Example: sail
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How many diphthongs are there?
19
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How many pure diphthongs are there?
Four
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How many pure diphthongs are sometimes impure?
Two
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What are the pure diphthongs and which ones are sometimes impure?
OI, OY, OU & OW. However, OU and OW are sometimes impure.
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How many diphthongs start with the letter A?
Five
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How many diphthongs start with the letter E?
Six
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How many diphthongs start with the letter I?
Two
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How many diphthongs start with the letter O?
Six
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How many diphthongs start with the letter U?
Three
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How many diphthongs start with the letter W?
One
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What are the diphthongs that begin with A?
AE, AI, AU, AW and AY
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What are the diphthongs that begin with E?
EA, EI, EO, EU, EW and EY
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What are the diphthongs that begin with I?
IA and IE
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What are the diphthongs that begin with O?
OA, OE OI, OO, OU and OW
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What are the diphthongs that begin with U?
UA, UE, UI
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What are the diphthongs that begin with W?
WA
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What sound(s) can AE make?
ē & ā
Example: orthopaedics; aerospace
A more common spelling of is orthopedics.
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What sound(s) can AI make?
ā & ī
Example: pain & aisle
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What sound(s) can AU make?
a & ô
Example: laugh & auto
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What sound(s) can AW make?
ô
Example: saw
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What sound(s) can AY make?
ā
Example: pay
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What sound(s) can EA make?
ē, e & ā
Examples: eat, bread, break
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What sound(s) can EI make?
ē, ā, i, e & ī
Example: ceiling, neighbor, foreign, heifer, eigenvalue
Note: The e & ī sounds are rare.
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What sound(s) can EO make?
ē
Example: people
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What sound(s) can EU make?
ū
Example: euro
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What sound(s) can EW make?
ū & ō
Example: few, sew
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What sound(s) can EY make?
ē & ā
Example: key, they
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What sound(s) can IA make?
?
Example: ?
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What sound(s) can IE make?
ī
Example: lie
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What sound(s) can OA make?
ō
Example: load
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What sound(s) can OE make?
ō
Example: oboe
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What sound(s) can OI make?
oi
Example: point
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What sound(s) can OO make?
ōō & oo
Example: cool, book
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What sound(s) can OU make?
ou, ōō, ô & ō
Example: loud, coupon, our & course
Note: An example of an ou schwa sound is tough
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What sound(s) can OW make?
ou & ō
Example: cow & low
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What sound(s) can OY make?
oi
Example: boy
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What sound(s) can UA make?
?
Example: ?
What sound(s) can UE make?
ōō
Example: sue
What sound(s) can UI make?
ōō
Example: sue
Note: When preceeded by a Q, the QU are sounded together and act as a single conconant. Example: quit
What are the three ways to get the ending syllable shul sound?
tial, sial & cial
- Examples: initial, controversial, facial
- Notes:
- - If tial is preceeded by an s then it makes the chul sound. Example: celestial.
- - If the last syllable is preceeded by an i, then the sh sound is pronounced with the second to last syllable. Example: initial
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What are the four ways to get the ending syllable shus sound?
tious, cious, scious & ceous
Examples: cautious, precious, conscious & predaceous
- Notes:
- - If the last syllable is preceeded by an i, then the sh sound is pronounced with the second to last syllable. Example: nutritious, delicious
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What are the six ways to get the ending syllable shun sound?
tion, sion, cion, tian, cian & cean
Examples: adaption, mission, coercion, egyptian, politician & ocean
- Notes:
- - If the last syllable is preceeded by an i, then the sh sound is pronounced with the second to last syllable. Example: abolition, suspicion
- - If sion is preceeded by a vowel it has the zhun sound. Example: fusion & concision. Notice that concision also has the zh sound pronounced with the second to last syllable.
- - If tion or tian are preceeded by an s then they make the chun sound. Example: congestion &fustian
- - cian is always preceeded by an i with an short i sound.
- - There are very few words that end with cean, seven total. Two do not have the ending shun sound: lyncean & panacean, both have an adjective form.
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Can diphthons and triphthongs have a schwa sound?
Yes
Example: tough
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