comb
nounA tool with thin pointed parts on it that you use to make hair neat and smooth.
verbTo use a comb on hair or fur to make it tidy.
verbTo search through something very carefully to find what you need.
nounA waxy structure made by bees with six-sided cells where they keep honey.
nounA fleshy bump on the head of a rooster or some other birds.
nounThe curling top part of a wave just before it breaks.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Hard C
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
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable O (Long O)
When O is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the O says its name /oʊ/ — like in 'go' and 'no'.
This is the open-syllable pattern: a syllable that ends in a vowel leaves it 'open', so it says its long name. Here, a lone O at the end of a syllable says /oʊ/ (go, no, so, o-pen). The O also says its long name in the 'old' and 'ost' families (cold, most). The long O sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (home) or vowel teams (oa in boat, ow in snow) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long O says its name — O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent B in MB
In MB at the end of a word, the B is silent! Like in 'lamb' and 'climb'.
When MB appears at the end of a word, the B is silent. You only pronounce the M.
Tip
B is quiet as a lamb at the end!
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.
