How many phonemes are in the word "shade"?

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a word. To determine the number of phonemes in "shade," we can break it down:

1. The "sh" sound at the beginning represents one phoneme.

2. The vowel sound "a" is the second phoneme.

3. The "d" sound at the end is the third phoneme.

When we combine these sounds, we clearly identify three distinct phonemes: "sh," "a," and "d." Therefore, the correct count of phonemes in the word "shade" is three. Understanding this helps in phonemic awareness, which is crucial for teaching reading and writing skills effectively.