always
PronouncedAWL-wayz
advEvery single time, with no exceptions.
advAll through time, from the start until now.
advIf nothing else works, or if you need to do something no matter what.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: AL says “aw”
Sound“aw”·/ɔː/
AL often says the “aw” sound, like in 'ball', 'walk', and 'talk'.
When A is followed by L, it frequently says “aw” (the 'aw' sound): ball, call, walk, talk, salt, false, also. (In other words the A and L are separate, like in 'pal'.)
Tip
AL says aw — ball, walk, talk!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter W
Sound“w”·/w/
The letter W makes the /w/ sound, like in 'win', 'wet', and 'web'. The lips round into an O shape.
W is a voiced bilabial approximant — the lips round tightly then open as voice flows. W is sometimes silent (write, wrong) and can act as a vowel in some combinations (aw, ew, ow).
Tip
W rounds your lips — make an O then say /w/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: AY Vowel Team
Sound“ay”·/eɪ/
AY at the end of a word says long A, like in 'play' and 'day'.
The vowel team 'ay' makes the long A sound “ay” and typically appears at the end of a word or syllable. It's the end-of-word partner to 'ai'.
Tip
AY at the end of the day says long A!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)
Sound“z”·/z/
After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.
Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.
Examples
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