blanket
nounA thick piece of cloth used to keep warm in bed or when resting.
nounA layer of something that covers an area.
verbTo cover something completely.
adjectiveCovering or including everything without leaving anything out.
verbTo block or stop a radio signal from being heard.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: BL Blend
B and L blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'black' and 'blue'.
In a consonant blend, you hear each letter's sound, but they are spoken together quickly. BL blends /b/ and /l/ together.
Examples
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: NK End Blend
NK at the end of a syllable makes the /ŋk/ sound, like in 'sink', 'bank', and 'drink'.
NK blends the nasal /ŋ/ (like in 'sing') with /k/. The N in NK is not a regular /n/ — it shifts to /ŋ/ because of the K that follows.
Tip
NK ends with a clunk — sink, bank, drink!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Schwa
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa /ə/ 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: 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
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.
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