directly
Pronouncedder-EHK-tlee
advIn a straight line from one place to another.
advVery soon or immediately.
advIn an honest and truthful way.
advWithout anything in between or getting in the way.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter D
Sound“d”·/d/
The letter D makes the /d/ sound, like in 'dog', 'day', and 'dig'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
D is a voiced alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, then releases with voice. It reliably makes the /d/ sound in almost all positions.
Tip
D is for dog — and dog starts with /d/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled IR
Sound“er”·/ɜːr/
When R comes after I, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'bird' and 'first'.
IR makes the same “er” sound as ER and UR. There's no difference in pronunciation — only in spelling.
Tip
The bird in a shirt says “er”!
Examples
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
Phonics Rule: CT End Blend
Sound“kt”·/kt/
CT at the end of a syllable blends /k/ and /t/ together, like in 'act' and 'fact'.
CT is an end blend — both sounds are heard. The back of the tongue makes /k/, then the tip taps /t/.
Tip
CT blends at the end — act, fact, insect!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -LY
Sound“lee”·/li/
Adding -LY to a word usually makes it describe HOW something is done, like 'slowly' and 'quickly'.
The suffix -ly usually turns an adjective into an adverb. 'Slow' → 'slowly' means 'in a slow way'.
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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