4 letters · 3 sounds · updated 15 Aug 2026

How to pronounce
"care"

"care" is pronounced with 3 sounds across 3 phonics chunks: c · a · re. Tap each box below to hear the sound, then blend them to read the word.

3 sounds · tap a box to hear each sound

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'care' has 4 letters and 3 sounds. Some letters work together to spell a single sound — a reminder that English maps graphemes to sounds, not letters one-for-one.

How do you pronounce "care"?

To pronounce "care" correctly, say each of the 3 sounds in order, then blend them smoothly. This technique — Elkonin sound boxes — is used in thousands of US classrooms following the Science of Reading approach. Here's the step-by-step phonics method:

  1. 1 Say the sound for "c" — then pause
  2. 2 Say the sound for "a" — then pause
  3. 3 Say the sound for "re" — final sound
  4. ✓ Blend all 3 sounds together: "care"

Words that rhyme with "care"

affairchairclarebaredoctrinairedebonairblair

Frequently asked questions about "care"

How do you pronounce "care"?
To pronounce "care", say each of its 3 phonics sound chunks in order — c, a, and re — then blend them smoothly. Tap the sound boxes above to hear each chunk.
How many sound chunks are in "care"?
"care" has 3 phonics sound chunks: c · a · re. Breaking a word into chunks helps kids decode it one sound at a time using the Science of Reading approach.
What are the phonics sounds in "care"?
The phonics sounds in "care" are c, a, and re. Each chunk represents one distinct sound; together they spell the 4-letter word "care".
How many letters are in "care"?
"care" has 4 letters and 3 phonics sound chunks.
What words rhyme with "care"?
Words that rhyme with "care" include "affair", "chair", "clare", "bare", "doctrinaire". See the full rhyme-family hub linked below.

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