How many phonemes are in the phrase “chapter five”?

How many phonemes are in the phrase “chapter five”?

• A. 11
• B. 10
• C. 9
• D. 8

Answer: (D)

Counting phonemes means tallying each distinct sound you actually hear when you say the phrase. For chapter, the typical pronunciation is /ˈtʃæp.tɚ/. The initial “ch” is one sound /tʃ/, then /æ/, then /p/, then /t/, and the ending /ɚ/ is a single rhotacized vowel sound. That gives five phonemes for this word. For five, the pronunciation is /faɪv/. Here you have /f/, the diphthong /aɪ/ treated as one vowel phoneme, and /v/, totaling three phonemes. Add them together and you get eight phonemes in the whole phrase.

Counting phonemes means tallying each distinct sound you actually hear when you say the phrase. For chapter, the typical pronunciation is /ˈtʃæp.tɚ/. The initial “ch” is one sound /tʃ/, then /æ/, then /p/, then /t/, and the ending /ɚ/ is a single rhotacized vowel sound. That gives five phonemes for this word. For five, the pronunciation is /faɪv/. Here you have /f/, the diphthong /aɪ/ treated as one vowel phoneme, and /v/, totaling three phonemes. Add them together and you get eight phonemes in the whole phrase.