SnapPhonics

centers

PronouncedSEHN-terz

/ˈsɛn.tərz/noun

  1. nounThe points inside circles that are the same distance from all points on the edges.

  2. nounThe middle portions of things, well away from the edges.

  3. nounBuildings or spaces set aside for a particular purpose or activity.

  4. nounThe tallest players in basketball who play closest to the basket.

  5. nounThe forwards in ice hockey who play between the wings and usually take the faceoffs.

  6. nounThe points inside spheres that are the same distance from all points on the surface.

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Syllables

centers

2 syllables

Letters

Base word

center

Phonics breakdown

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

e

Phonics Rule: Short E

Sound“eh”·/ɛ/

The letter E makes a short sound, like in 'bed' and 'red'.

When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound “eh”. This is often confused with short I by new readers.

Tip

E says “eh” like an egg on your head.

Examples

nt

Phonics Rule: NT End Blend

Sound“nt”·/nt/

NT at the end of a syllable blends /n/ and /t/ together, like in 'tent', 'mint', and 'want'.

NT is a very common end blend. The nasal /n/ flows into the stop /t/. In fast speech the /t/ is sometimes barely voiced, but both sounds are present.

Tip

NT tents up at the end — tent, mint, hunt!

Examples

er

Phonics Rule: R-Controlled ER

Sound“er”·/ɜːr/

When R comes after E, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'her' and 'fern'.

ER makes the same sound as IR and UR — they all say “er”. ER is the most common spelling of this sound, especially at the end of words.

Tip

ER, IR, and UR all sound the same — Bossy R wins again!

Examples

s

Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)

Sound“z”·/z/

After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.

Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.

Examples

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