ambitious
Pronouncedam-BIH-shuhs
adjWanting very much to be successful or to achieve something difficult.
adjDifficult and needing a lot of work or skill to do well.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
When the letter A appears in a closed syllable (a syllable that ends with a consonant), it usually makes the short A sound “a”. This is one of the first vowel sounds students learn.
Tip
A says “a” like a cat that sat on a mat.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter M
Sound“m”·/m/
The letter M makes the /m/ sound, like in 'map', 'mud', and 'mop'. Both lips press together with voice through the nose.
M is a voiced bilabial nasal — both lips press together while the voice hums through the nose. Double M (mm) makes the same /m/ sound.
Tip
M hums like mmm — press your lips and hum!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter B
Sound“b”·/b/
The letter B makes the /b/ sound, like in 'bat', 'big', and 'bug'. Both lips press together then release.
B is a voiced bilabial stop — both lips press together and release with voice. It always makes the /b/ sound except when silent at the end of words after m (as in 'lamb' or 'comb').
Tip
B looks like a bat — and bat starts with /b/!
Examples
When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: TI says “sh”
Sound“sh”·/ʃ/
Before another vowel, TI often says “sh”, like in 'patient' and 'national'.
When TI comes before another vowel, the two letters blend into the “sh” sound: patient, spatial, national, initial. This is the same “sh” you hear in the -tion ending (nation), here inside words like -tial and -tional.
Tip
TI before a vowel says “sh” — be a patient, national helper!
Examples
Phonics Rule: OU says “uh” (-ous)
Sound“uh”·/ə/
OU says the lazy schwa “uh” in the ending -OUS, like in 'famous' and 'generous'.
In the suffix -ous, OU is unstressed and says schwa “uh”: famous, generous, nervous, dangerous, enormous.
Tip
- OUS is famous for the lazy uh — famous, nervous!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)
Sound“z”·/z/
After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.
Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.
Examples
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