when
adverbUsed to ask what time something happens, as in 'When is your birthday?'
conjunctionUsed to show the time that something happens, as in 'I was happy when I got a puppy.'
conjunctionUsed to show that two things happen at the same time, as in 'When the bell rang, we all went inside.'
conjunctionUsed to give the reason or fact that explains something, as in 'Why are you sad when you have so many friends?'
"when" does not follow standard phonics patterns and should be memorized.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: WH Digraph
WH at the start of a word usually sounds like /w/, like in 'when' and 'what'.
In most American English, 'wh' sounds the same as 'w'. It appears at the beginning of question words (who, what, when, where, why) and other common words.
Tip
WH asks questions — when, what, where, why!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short E
The letter E makes a short sound, like in 'bed' and 'red'.
When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound /ɛ/. This is often confused with short I by new readers.
Tip
E says /ɛ/ like an egg on your head.
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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