3. d (a, ma, mag, magi, magic, magician) 7 changes.  For counters, there are three changes that occur when magic becomes magician.  Note the consistency within changes:  

The word a is pronounced "uh" not "ay".

Change # 1.  If we add m in front of a we get ma which rhymes with fa, la, tra, da and pa.  All single syllable words ending in a rhyme with ma.   That is 100% phonic pattern consistency.

Change #2.  Add the letter g to ma and we get mag. Notice the g changes the sound of the vowel from "ah" to short a. Mag rhymes with bag, lag, flag, rag, brag, tag, stag, nag, snag, etc. All single syllable words ending in -ag rhyme.   That is 100% phonic pattern consistency.

Change #3.  Add the letter i to Mag and we get Magi (Madge eye). Notice the letter i changes the sound of the g to that of j.  In over 90% of letter combinations in which the letter g is followed by i or e, the sound of the letter g is /j/.  That is phonic pattern regularity.

Change #4.   Add the letter c and we get magic. Notice that the letter c changes the sound of the long i to a short i.   All words ending -ic are pronounced just as if they were spelled ick as in pick and nick.  That is 100% phonic pattern consistency.  But notice picnic follows the pattern of the "fancy" words.  The simple words end -ick.  But don't panic.  And don't pan Nick! 

Changes #5 & 6 & 7.  Add the letters ian and we get magician.  The ending first changes the sound of the second letter (a) back to "uh."  It now shifts the accent to the letters gici (JISH) and changes the sound of the letter c into the "sh" sound and makes it "muh JISH un."

This was just a dem, demo, demon, demons, demonstrate, demonstrative, demonstration on how endings affect the beginnings of words.  Our language may not have perfect letter by letter phonic correspondence, but the patterns are nearly 100% consistent.  We need to teach the phonic patterns of our language to most students.