athlete
nounA person who plays sports and exercises with great skill.
nounA person who competes in running, jumping and throwing events.
nounA person with a very strong and fit body.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Short A
The letter A makes a short sound, like in 'cat' and 'bat'.
When the letter A appears in a closed syllable (a syllable that ends with a consonant), it usually makes the short A sound /æ/. This is one of the first vowel sounds students learn.
Tip
A says /æ/ like a cat that sat on a mat.
Examples
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Unvoiced)
TH can make a soft sound /θ/, like in 'think' and 'bath'. Just air, no buzz!
The unvoiced TH /θ/ is the quiet, breathy version. Your throat doesn't vibrate. Stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air.
Tip
Unvoiced TH is quiet — think with three teeth!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
The letter L makes the /l/ sound, like in 'lamp', 'leg', and 'lip'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
L is a voiced lateral approximant — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows around the sides. Double L (ll) makes the same /l/ sound.
Tip
L is for lamp — light it up with /l/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with E (Magic E)
In the e-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the first E say its name /iː/ — like in 'these' and 'complete'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.
In the pattern e-consonant-e (like 'these'), the final E is silent but it makes the first E say its long sound /iː/. This is the least common of the Magic-E patterns. Examples: these, theme, scene, complete, gene, eve.
Tip
Magic E makes E say its name — these, theme, complete!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter T
The letter T makes the /t/ sound, like in 'top', 'tap', and 'ten'. The tongue tip taps behind the upper teeth.
T is a voiceless alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth and releases with a puff of air. Double T (tt) makes the same /t/ sound.
Tip
T taps — touch your tongue to make /t/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with E (Magic E)
In the e-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the first E say its name /iː/ — like in 'these' and 'complete'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.
In the pattern e-consonant-e (like 'these'), the final E is silent but it makes the first E say its long sound /iː/. This is the least common of the Magic-E patterns. Examples: these, theme, scene, complete, gene, eve.
Tip
Magic E makes E say its name — these, theme, complete!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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