| sister |
sĭs'tẽr |
/ˈsɪs.tər/ |
-er at end of multi-syllable word |
2 syllables (sis • ter); closed first syllable |
| mother |
mŭth'ẽr |
/ˈmʌð.ər/ |
Short ŭ spelled o + voiced th + -er |
2 syllables (moth • er); o makes /ʌ/ |
| brother |
brŭth'ẽr |
/ˈbrʌð.ər/ |
Initial blend br- + voiced th + -er |
2 syllables (broth • er); o makes /ʌ/ |
| father |
fä'thẽr |
/ˈfɑː.ðər/ |
Broad a (/ɑː/) + voiced th + -er |
2 syllables (fath • er); open vowel sound |
| grandfather |
grănd'fä-thẽr |
/ˈɡrændˌfɑː.ðər/ |
Compound word (grand + father) |
3 syllables (grand • fath • er); -er suffix |
| grandma |
grănd'mä |
/ˈɡrænd.mɑː/ |
Compound noun; final a makes /ɑː/ |
2 syllables (grand • ma); informal family title |
| daughter |
daw'tẽr |
/ˈdɔː.tər/ |
augh makes /ɔː/ + silent gh + -er |
2 syllables (daugh • ter); augh phonogram |
| son |
sŭn |
/sʌn/ |
Short ŭ spelled o (CVC) |
Monosyllabic noun; homophone with sun |
| parents |
pâr'ěnts |
/ˈpɛər.ənts/ |
r-controlled /ɛər/ + unaccented -ents |
2 syllables (par • ents); plural noun |
| uncle |
ŭŋ'k'l |
/ˈʌŋ.kəl/ |
Consonant -le syllable pattern |
2 syllables (un • cle); final silent e |
| aunt |
änt / ănt |
/ɑːnt/ or /ænt/ |
Digraph au making /ɑː/ or /æ/ |
Monosyllabic noun; homophone with ant |
| cousin |
kŭz'ĭn |
/ˈkʌz.ən/ |
ou makes /ʌ/ + voiced s + schwa |
2 syllables (cous • in); s says /z/ |
| niece |
nēs |
/niːs/ |
ie makes /ē/ + silent e soft c (job 3) |
Silent e causes c to say /s/; French origin |
| nephew |
něf'ū |
/ˈnɛf.juː/ |
Digraph ph makes /f/ + -ew (/juː/) |
2 syllables (neph • ew); Greek digraph ph |
| relative |
rěl'ă-tĭv |
/ˈrɛl.ə.tɪv/ |
Schwa a + silent e job 2 (-ve) |
3 syllables (rel • a • tive); no English word ends in v |