chic
PronouncedSHEEK
adjectiveStylish and elegant in appearance or manner.
nounA fashionable and attractive style or manner.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: CH Digraph (“sh” sound)
Sound“sh”·/ʃ/
In some words from French, CH makes the “sh” sound, like in 'chef' and 'machine'.
When CH comes from a French-origin word, it says “sh”. Common examples: chef, machine, champagne, chandelier. These words must be memorized.
Tip
French CH shushes like SH — chef, machine!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable E (Long E)
Sound“ee”·/iː/
When E is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the E says its name “ee” — like in 'he' and 'me'.
This is the open-syllable pattern: a syllable that ends in a vowel leaves it 'open', so it says its long name. Here, a lone E at the end of a syllable says “ee” (he, me, we, be). The long E sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — vowel teams (ee in tree, ea in read) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long E says its name — E!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Hard C
Sound“k”·/k/
C makes the /k/ sound before A, O, U, or a consonant, like in 'cat' and 'cup'.
The letter C makes the hard /k/ sound when followed by A, O, U, or a consonant. This is the default C sound. Examples: cat, cup, coat, cold, crab, class.
Tip
C says K before A, O, U — cat, cup, coat!
Examples
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