A phonogram is a letter (or series of letters) that stands for a sound, syllable, syllable part (rime), or series of sounds. Phonograms are often referred to as word families. The words sunk, chunk, and trunk belong to the same word family because they contain the ending-unk.In these three words the ending-unk is a phonogram; it is also the rime. A relatively small number of phonograms can be used to generate a large number of words.Wylie and Durrell (1970) point out that nearly 500 primary-grade words can be derived from 37 “rhyming” phonograms.honograms are often referred to as word families. The words sunk, chunk, and trunk belong to the same word family because they contain the ending-unk. In these three words the ending-unk is a phonogram; it is also the rime.