giant
nounA person who is much taller and larger than usual.
nounA creature in stories who is a very large human-like being.
nounSomeone who is outstandingly strong or clever.
nounA plant or animal that grows much bigger than others of its kind.
nounAn extremely large company or organization.
adjectiveExtremely big.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Soft G
G sometimes says /dʒ/ (like J) before E, I, or Y, like in 'gem' and 'giant'.
When G comes before E, I, or Y, it sometimes makes the soft /dʒ/ sound (like J). However, this rule has many exceptions ('get', 'give', 'girl').
Tip
G can be gentle like a giant!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable I (Long I)
When I is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the I says its name /aɪ/ — like in 'hi' and 'fi-nal'.
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 I at the end of a syllable says /aɪ/ (hi, si-lent). The I also says its long name before two consonants in the 'ind' and 'ild' families (find, kind, child, mild). The long I sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (bike) or igh (night) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long I says its name — I!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Schwa
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa /ə/ 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: NT End Blend
NT at the end of a syllable blends /n/ and /t/ together, like in 'tent', 'mint', and 'want'.
NT is a very common end blend. The nasal /n/ flows into the stop /t/. In fast speech the /t/ is sometimes barely voiced, but both sounds are present.
Tip
NT tents up at the end — tent, mint, hunt!
Examples
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