What sound does the digraph ph make in the word 'phone'?

What sound does the digraph ph make in the word 'phone'?

• A. /f/
• B. /p/
• C. /v/
• D. /ph/

Answer: (A)

The starting cluster ph is a two-letter combination that represents the /f/ sound in many English words. In phone, those two letters work together to produce /f/ right at the beginning. The rest of the word then provides the other sounds: the long vowel /oʊ/ followed by /n/, while the final e stays silent and doesn’t change the sound you hear at the start. So you hear /foʊn/, with the initial /f/ coming from the digraph ph.

The starting cluster ph is a two-letter combination that represents the /f/ sound in many English words. In phone, those two letters work together to produce /f/ right at the beginning. The rest of the word then provides the other sounds: the long vowel /oʊ/ followed by /n/, while the final e stays silent and doesn’t change the sound you hear at the start. So you hear /foʊn/, with the initial /f/ coming from the digraph ph.