drinking
PronouncedDRIHNG-kihng
nounThe action of swallowing liquid to get water or other drinks into your body.
adjectiveSafe and clean enough for someone to swallow.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
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
When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: NK End Blend
Sound“ngk”·/ŋk/
NK at the end of a syllable makes the “ngk” sound, like in 'sink', 'bank', and 'drink'.
NK blends the nasal “ng” (like in 'sing') with /k/. The N in NK is not a regular /n/ — it shifts to “ng” because of the K that follows.
Tip
NK ends with a clunk — sink, bank, drink!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ING
Sound“ing”·/ɪŋ/
Adding -ING to a verb shows something is happening right now, like 'running' and 'playing'.
The suffix -ing is added to verbs to show an ongoing action (present participle). Sometimes the base word changes: drop silent E ('make' → 'making'), double final consonant ('run' → 'running').
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.