honk
PronouncedHAHNGK
verbTo make the loud sound that a car horn makes.
nounThe loud noise that comes from a car horn.
verbTo make the cry that a goose makes.
nounThe sound that a goose makes.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter H
Sound“h”·/h/
The letter H makes the /h/ sound, like in 'hat', 'hop', and 'hen'. It is a soft breath of air.
H is a voiceless glottal fricative — just a puff of air with no friction. It always appears before a vowel and is sometimes silent (as in 'hour' or 'honest').
Tip
H is a puff of air — breathe out and say /h/!
Examples
When the letter O appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short O sound “ah”. In American English, this sounds like 'ah'.
Tip
O says “ah” like 'Ahh!' said the doctor.
Examples
Phonics Rule: NK End Blend
Sound“ngk”·/ŋk/
NK at the end of a syllable makes the “ngk” sound, like in 'sink', 'bank', and 'drink'.
NK blends the nasal “ng” (like in 'sing') with /k/. The N in NK is not a regular /n/ — it shifts to “ng” because of the K that follows.
Tip
NK ends with a clunk — sink, bank, drink!
Examples
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