aspire
Pronounceduhs-PEYER
verbTo want very much to do or achieve something.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
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: SP Blend
Sound“sp”·/sp/
S and P blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'spin' and 'sport'.
The blend SP combines /s/ and /p/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled IRE
Sound“ire”·/aɪər/
IRE makes the “ire” sound, like in 'fire', 'tire', and 'hire'.
IRE says “ire” (like 'eye' + 'er'): fire, tire, hire, wire, desire, entire, admire.
Tip
The fire is higher — fire, tire, wire!
Examples
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