draught
PronouncedDRAFT
nounA current of air moving through a room or vehicle.
nounA drink of liquid taken in one gulp.
nounBeer or other drink served from a barrel or container, not from a bottle.
nounA first version of a piece of writing before it is finished.
nounA plan or drawing that shows what something will look like.
nounThe depth of water that a ship needs to float properly.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: DR Blend
Sound“dr”·/dr/
D and R blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'drop' and 'drink'.
The blend DR combines /d/ and /r/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: AU says “a” (laugh, aunt)
Sound“a”·/æ/
In a few words AU says short A “a” instead of “aw” — 'laugh' rhymes with 'staff'.
AU almost always says “aw” (author, autumn, because, sauce). A small group of words says short A “a” instead: laugh, laughter, aunt and draught. In laugh and draught the GH says /f/, so laugh is simply “laf”. These are worth learning by sight — the spelling gives no clue.
Tip
Laugh rhymes with staff — not with sauce!
Examples
Phonics Rule: GH as /f/
Sound“f”·/f/
Sometimes GH makes the /f/ sound, like in 'laugh' and 'laughter'.
In some words, GH makes the /f/ sound at the end of words or syllables. Examples: enough, rough, tough, cough, laugh. These must be memorized.
Tip
GH laughs with an /f/ — enough, rough, laugh!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter T
Sound“t”·/t/
The letter T makes the /t/ sound, like in 'top', 'tap', and 'ten'. The tongue tip taps behind the upper teeth.
T is a voiceless alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth and releases with a puff of air. Double T (tt) makes the same /t/ sound.
Tip
T taps — touch your tongue to make /t/!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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