SnapPhonics

coffee

PronouncedKAH-fee

/ˈkɑ.fiː/
  1. nounA hot drink made by pouring boiling water over roasted brown beans.

  2. nounA cup or serving of this drink.

  3. nounBrown beans from a tropical plant that are roasted and ground to make the drink.

  4. nounA pale brown powder made by roasting and grinding the beans.

  5. nounA pale brown colour like milky coffee.

  6. nounA small low table where people put cups and plates while sitting.

Save to your word list — create a free account

Syllables

coffee

2 syllables

Letters

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

c

Phonics Rule: Hard C

Sound“k”·/k/

C makes the /k/ sound before A, O, U, or a consonant, like in 'cat' and 'cup'.

The letter C makes the hard /k/ sound when followed by A, O, U, or a consonant. This is the default C sound. Examples: cat, cup, coat, cold, crab, class.

Tip

C says K before A, O, U — cat, cup, coat!

Examples

o

Phonics Rule: Short O

Sound“ah”·/ɑ/

The letter O makes a short sound, like in 'hot' and 'dog'.

When the letter O appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short O sound “ah”. In American English, this sounds like 'ah'.

Tip

O says “ah” like 'Ahh!' said the doctor.

Examples

ff

Phonics Rule: Double Consonant

Sound“one sound”

Two of the same consonant together make just one sound, like the LL in 'ball' or TT in 'butter'.

When two identical consonants appear together, they make just one consonant sound, and the doubling signals a short vowel before it. A common case is the FLOSS rule: a one-syllable word with a short vowel doubles a final f, l, s, or z (off, ball, miss, buzz). Examples: ball, butter, happy, mitten, egg, off.

Tip

Double consonants make one sound — ball, butter, egg!

Examples

ee

Phonics Rule: EE Vowel Team

Sound“ee”·/iː/

When two E's are together, they say long E, like in 'tree' and 'see'.

The vowel team 'ee' almost always makes the long E sound “ee”. This is one of the most reliable vowel teams in English.

Tip

Two E's together always agree — they say “ee”!

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.