cook
nounSomeone who prepares food by heating it and mixing it with other things.
verbTo prepare food for eating by heating it.
verbTo be uncomfortably hot.
verbTo make up or prepare something, often a story or excuse.
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: OO (Short Sound)
OO sometimes makes a shorter sound, like in 'book' and 'good'.
The vowel team 'oo' sometimes makes the shorter /ʊ/ sound. This is less common than the long /uː/ sound. Words with short OO need to be learned individually.
Tip
Look in a book — short OO!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter K
The letter K makes the /k/ sound, like in 'kite', 'kit', and 'king'.
K always makes the /k/ sound. It is used before E, I, and Y where C would make an /s/ sound instead. K is silent before N at the start of a word (knife, know).
Tip
K is for kite — and kite starts with /k/!
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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