guardian
nounA person who looks after and protects someone.
nounA person who is legally responsible for a child or young person.
nounA person who is legally responsible for someone who cannot look after themselves.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Hard G
G makes the /g/ sound before A, O, U, or a consonant, like in 'go' and 'game'.
The letter G makes the hard /g/ sound when followed by A, O, U, or a consonant. Examples: go, game, give, glad, grab.
Tip
G says /g/ before A, O, U — go, game, glad!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent U
Sometimes U is silent, especially after G — like in 'guess', 'guitar', and 'build'.
The U is silent in two common spots: after G it keeps the G hard before E or I (guess, guest, guitar, guilt, guide, guard), and in the 'build' family (build, built, builder). You see the U but don't say it.
Tip
Guess what — the U is silent!
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled AR
When R comes after A, it changes the sound to /ɑːr/, like in 'car' and 'star'.
When A is followed by R, the R 'bosses' the vowel and changes its sound. Instead of short A or long A, you hear /ɑːr/. R-controlled vowels are sometimes called 'Bossy R'.
Tip
Bossy R takes the car to the farm!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter D
The letter D makes the /d/ sound, like in 'dog', 'day', and 'dig'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
D is a voiced alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, then releases with voice. It reliably makes the /d/ sound in almost all positions.
Tip
D is for dog — and dog starts with /d/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable E (Long E)
When E is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the E says its name /iː/ — 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 /iː/ (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: 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: Letter 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
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