SnapPhonics

auspices

PronouncedAWS-pih-sihz

/ˈɔs.pɪ.sɪz/noun

  1. nounSupport and protection given by someone important or powerful.

  2. nounSigns or omens that tell you what will happen in the future.

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Syllables

auspices

3 syllables

Letters

Base word

auspice

Related words (same phonics pattern)

classesforceshousesexchangesexpressescollapses

Phonics breakdown

au

Phonics Rule: AU Vowel Team

Sound“aw”·/ɔː/

When A and U are together, they make the “aw” sound, like in 'author' and 'pause'.

The vowel team AU makes the “aw” sound (same as AW). It appears in the middle of words. Examples: author, pause, fault, haunt, cause.

Tip

AU says aw — author, pause, fault!

Examples

sp

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

i

Phonics Rule: Short I

Sound“ih”·/ɪ/

The letter I makes a short sound, like in 'sit' and 'big'.

When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.

Tip

I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.

Examples

c

Phonics Rule: Soft C

Sound“s”·/s/

C says /s/ before E, I, or Y, like in 'city' and 'face'.

When C comes before the letters E, I, or Y, it makes the soft /s/ sound instead of the hard /k/ sound. This is called 'Soft C'.

Tip

C is soft before E, I, Y — the city is nice!

Examples

es

Phonics Rule: Suffix -ES

Sound“iz”·/ɪz/

When a word already ends in a hissing or buzzing sound, -ES adds a whole extra syllable that says “iz” — like 'boxes' and 'pages'.

Try saying 'boxs' — you can't, the two hissing sounds run together. So the ending opens up into its own syllable: box → box-es. This happens after s, x, z, ch and sh (boxes, buzzes, watches, wishes), and also after a soft c or soft g, which are hissing and buzzing sounds themselves (faces, pages, bridges). When the word does NOT end in one of those sounds, the e goes quiet and the ending is just an /s/ or a /z/ — cakes, shoes.

Tip

-ES adds a whole extra syllable — box-es, wish-es!

Examples

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