abroad
Pronounceduhb-RAWD
adverbIn a country that is not where you live.
adverbIn or to a country that is not your own.
adverbNot correct or on the right track.
adverbNot hitting or reaching the thing you aimed at.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Schwa
Sound“uh”·/ə/
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa “uh” is the most common vowel sound in English. Any vowel letter can make the schwa sound when it's in an unstressed syllable. It sounds like a quick, lazy 'uh'.
Tip
Schwa is lazy — any vowel can say 'uh' when it's not stressed!
Examples
Phonics Rule: BR Blend
Sound“br”·/br/
B and R blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'brown' and 'bring'.
The blend BR combines /b/ and /r/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: OA says “aw” (broad)
Sound“aw”·/ɔː/
In the word broad and its family, OA says “aw” instead of the long O — broad rhymes with sawed, not with road.
OA almost always says long O: boat, coat, road, soap, goal. The word broad is the exception, along with abroad, broadly, broader and broadest. Say broad and road one after the other and you can hear it — the spelling is the same but the vowel is not.
Tip
Broad sounds like sawed, not like road!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter D
Sound“d”·/d/
The letter D makes the /d/ sound, like in 'dog', 'day', and 'dig'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
D is a voiced alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, then releases with voice. It reliably makes the /d/ sound in almost all positions.
Tip
D is for dog — and dog starts with /d/!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
A phonics reference for teachers, parents and learners. Every English word, broken into the sounds that make it — with audio, syllables, and the rule behind each spelling.
Save words to study lists, build flashcard decks, and scan your own worksheets and books.