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Question

Difficulty: HardRhymes and Sound Matching

Among the options provided, which word forms an exact phonetic rhyme with phlegm?

  1. A
    flame
  2. B
    gleam
  3. gemAnswer
  4. D
    phylum

Answer

The word 'gem' forms an exact phonetic rhyme with 'phlegm'.
The word 'phlegm' has the phonetic transcription /flɛm/, where the letter 'g' is silent. The word 'gem' has the phonetic transcription /dʒɛm/. Both words end with the identical sound sequence /-ɛm/, making them a perfect phonetic rhyme pair regardless of their spelling differences.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription of the target word.
The target word 'phlegm' is pronounced /flɛm/, with a silent 'g' and ending in the sound sequence /-ɛm/.
Accurate sound matching in Oral English depends on phonetic transcription rather than orthographic spelling.
2
Transcribe the options and compare their end rhyme sound sequences.
'flame' is /fleɪm/, 'gleam' is /ɡliːm/, 'gem' is /dʒɛm/, and 'phylum' is /ˈfaɪ.ləm/.
The correct rhyming word must match both the nucleus vowel /ɛ/ and the coda consonant /m/.
3
Identify the word that shares the exact /-ɛm/ termination sound.
'gem' (/dʒɛm/) matches 'phlegm' (/flɛm/) perfectly.
Both words terminate in the identical phoneme cluster /-ɛm/.

Key Concept

Phonetic End Rhyme and Silent Letters
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Rhymes and Sound Matching

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