How many phonemes in the word conscience?

Let's break down the word "conscience" to count the phonemes:

* c - /k/

* on - /ɑn/ (the "o" is a schwa sound)

* sc - /ʃ/ (the "s" is silent)

* i - /ɪ/

* en - /ən/ (again, the "e" is a schwa)

* ce - /s/ (the "c" is silent)

Therefore, there are 6 phonemes in the word "conscience".