bruise
nounA dark mark on your skin that appears after you have been hit or knocked.
verbTo hit someone in a way that causes a dark mark on their skin.
verbTo damage the skin of fruit or vegetables by dropping or squeezing them.
nounA dark mark on fruit or vegetables caused by something hitting it.
verbTo hurt someone's feelings or make them feel bad about themselves.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: BR Blend
B and R blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'brown' and 'bring'.
The blend BR combines /b/ and /r/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: UI Vowel Team
UI makes the long U sound, like in 'fruit' and 'suit'.
The vowel team UI makes the long U sound /uː/. Examples: fruit, suit, juice, bruise, cruise.
Tip
UI says oo — fruit, suit, juice!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter S
The letter S usually makes the /s/ sound, like in 'sun', 'sit', and 'sock'. Air hisses through a small gap.
S is a voiceless alveolar fricative when it makes the /s/ sound. At the end of many words it can also make a /z/ sound (as in 'dogs' or 'has'). At the start of a word it is always /s/.
Tip
S hisses like a snake — sssssun!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with I (Magic E)
In the i-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the I say its name — like in 'bike' and 'time'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.
In the pattern i-consonant-e (like 'bike'), the final E is silent but makes the I say its long sound /aɪ/.
Tip
Magic E makes I say its name!
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.
Save words to study lists, build flashcard decks, and scan your own worksheets and books.