whispering
PronouncedWIHS-per-ihng
Making a soft, quiet sound like someone speaking very gently.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: WH Digraph
Sound“w”·/w/
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
When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: SP Blend
Sound“sp”·/sp/
S and P blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'spin' and 'sport'.
The blend SP combines /s/ and /p/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled ER
Sound“er”·/ɜːr/
When R comes after E, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'her' and 'fern'.
ER makes the same sound as IR and UR — they all say “er”. ER is the most common spelling of this sound, especially at the end of words.
Tip
ER, IR, and UR all sound the same — Bossy R wins again!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ING
Sound“ing”·/ɪŋ/
Adding -ING to a verb shows something is happening right now, like 'running' and 'playing'.
The suffix -ing is added to verbs to show an ongoing action (present participle). Sometimes the base word changes: drop silent E ('make' → 'making'), double final consonant ('run' → 'running').
Examples
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