monument
PronouncedMAHN-yoo-muhnt
nounA building or statue made to remember an important person or event.
nounSomething that shows a great achievement or success.
nounAn old or historic site or building that is protected and kept safe.
nounA burial place or tomb for a dead person.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter M
Sound“m”·/m/
The letter M makes the /m/ sound, like in 'map', 'mud', and 'mop'. Both lips press together with voice through the nose.
M is a voiced bilabial nasal — both lips press together while the voice hums through the nose. Double M (mm) makes the same /m/ sound.
Tip
M hums like mmm — press your lips and hum!
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: 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: Open Syllable U — “yoo” (Long U)
Sound“yoo”·/juː/
When U is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the U says its name with a /j/ glide — like in 'mu-sic' and 'hu-man'.
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 U at the end of a syllable says “yoo” (mu-sic, hu-man, u-nit). After L, R, S, or J the Y-glide drops and U says “oo” instead — see the companion Open Syllable U (“oo”) rule.
Tip
Long U says its name with a YOO sound!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -MENT
Sound“munt”·/mənt/
The suffix -MENT turns a verb into a noun meaning the result or state of the action.
-MENT is a noun-forming suffix. It is added to verbs (move → movement, enjoy → enjoyment, treat → treatment). The -MENT syllable uses the schwa sound: “munt”.
Tip
-MENT makes it a thing — move + ment = movement!
Examples
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