engineer
PronouncedEHN-juh-NEER
nounA person whose job is to design and build things like bridges, roads, or machines.
nounA person who drives a train.
nounA person who operates the engines on a ship.
nounA person who drives a fire engine to fight fires.
verbTo design and build something like a machine or structure.
verbTo make something happen by planning it carefully.
Phonics breakdown
When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound “eh”. This is often confused with short I by new readers.
Tip
E says “eh” like an egg on your head.
Examples
Phonics Rule: NG Digraph
Sound“ng”·/ŋ/
NG together makes the “ng” sound at the back of your mouth, like in 'ring' and 'song'.
The digraph 'ng' makes the nasal sound “ng”. This sound is made at the back of your mouth/throat. It almost always appears at the end of a word or syllable.
Tip
Sing a song — NG rings along!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Schwa
Sound“uh”·/ə/
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa “uh” is the most common vowel sound in English. Any vowel letter can make the schwa sound when it's in an unstressed syllable. It sounds like a quick, lazy 'uh'.
Tip
Schwa is lazy — any vowel can say 'uh' when it's not stressed!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter N
Sound“n”·/n/
The letter N makes the /n/ sound, like in 'net', 'nap', and 'nut'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
N is a voiced alveolar nasal — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while voice hums through the nose. It is one of the most common consonants in English.
Tip
N hums through the nose — say /n/ and feel the buzz!
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled EER
Sound“eer”·/ɪər/
EER makes the “eer” sound, like in 'deer', 'cheer', and 'steer'.
EER is an r-controlled team saying “eer” (same 'ear' sound): deer, cheer, steer, career, engineer, volunteer.
Tip
A deer can cheer — deer, cheer, steer!
Examples
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