Which term corresponds to the initial phonological unit of a word?

Which term corresponds to the initial phonological unit of a word?

• A. High frequency words
• B. Syllable
• C. CVC
• D. Onset

Answer: (D)

The initial phonological unit of a word is the onset—the consonant or consonant cluster that comes before the vowel in a syllable. In syllable structure, a syllable typically has onset, nucleus (the vowel), and coda. For example, in the word “cat,” the onset is the single consonant “c”; in “plane,” the onset is the cluster “pl” before the vowel “a.” This shows why onset is the right term: it names the first piece spoken in a syllable, the sound that leads into the vowel. The other options don’t describe this initial segment—a syllable is the whole beat of pronunciation, CVC is a pattern that describes a sequence of sounds, and high frequency words refer to how often a word occurs rather than its phonological structure.

The initial phonological unit of a word is the onset—the consonant or consonant cluster that comes before the vowel in a syllable. In syllable structure, a syllable typically has onset, nucleus (the vowel), and coda. For example, in the word “cat,” the onset is the single consonant “c”; in “plane,” the onset is the cluster “pl” before the vowel “a.” This shows why onset is the right term: it names the first piece spoken in a syllable, the sound that leads into the vowel. The other options don’t describe this initial segment—a syllable is the whole beat of pronunciation, CVC is a pattern that describes a sequence of sounds, and high frequency words refer to how often a word occurs rather than its phonological structure.