How many phonemes are present in the word 'knight'?

In the word 'knight,' there are three distinct phonemes if we break it down by sound. The phonemes include the /n/ sound, the /aɪ/ sound as in 'night,' and the /t/ sound. The initial 'k' sound is silent, and the 'gh' does not contribute an additional sound in this case. Therefore, the phonetic representation would primarily focus on the sounds that are articulated: /n/, /aɪ/, and /t/. This understanding is crucial in phonetics and phonology as it illustrates the concept that not all letters in a word contribute to its phonemic structure, emphasizing how certain letters may influence pronunciation without adding to the count of distinct phonemes.