Which word has exactly three phonemes and ends with the /p/ sound?

Which word has exactly three phonemes and ends with the /p/ sound?

• A. Tree
• B. Beat
• C. Sea
• D. Top

Answer: (D)

Counting phonemes means listening to a word as a sequence of distinct sounds. If a word has exactly three phonemes, you can hear three separate sounds in order: a start sound, a vowel sound, and an ending sound. Top has three distinct sounds: the initial /t/, the vowel sound /ɑ/ (as in the short “a” sound in many American pronunciations), and the final /p/. Because it ends with /p/, it meets the requirement of ending with the /p/ sound and having three phonemes. Tree has three sounds /t/ /r/ /iː/, but it ends with /iː/, not /p/. Beat is /b/ /iː/ /t/, which is three phonemes but ends with /t/, not /p/. Sea is /s/ /iː/, only two phonemes, ending with a vowel sound rather than /p/. So Top is the word that both ends with /p/ and has exactly three phonemes.

Counting phonemes means listening to a word as a sequence of distinct sounds. If a word has exactly three phonemes, you can hear three separate sounds in order: a start sound, a vowel sound, and an ending sound.

Top has three distinct sounds: the initial /t/, the vowel sound /ɑ/ (as in the short “a” sound in many American pronunciations), and the final /p/. Because it ends with /p/, it meets the requirement of ending with the /p/ sound and having three phonemes.

Tree has three sounds /t/ /r/ /iː/, but it ends with /iː/, not /p/.

Beat is /b/ /iː/ /t/, which is three phonemes but ends with /t/, not /p/.

Sea is /s/ /iː/, only two phonemes, ending with a vowel sound rather than /p/.

So Top is the word that both ends with /p/ and has exactly three phonemes.