SnapPhonics

drives

PronouncedDREYEVZ

/ˈdraɪvz/noun
  1. verbOperates a wheeled motorized vehicle.

  2. verbTravels by operating a wheeled motorized vehicle.

  3. verbTakes a person somewhere in a wheeled motorized vehicle.

  4. nounTrips made in a vehicle.

  5. nounStrong wish or determination to succeed at something.

  6. nounThe part of a computer that reads and writes information on disks.

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Syllables

drives

1 syllable

Letters

Base word

drive

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

dr

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

Sound“eye”·/aɪ/

When I is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the I says its name “eye” — like in 'hi' and 'fi-nal'.

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 I at the end of a syllable says “eye” (hi, si-lent). The I also says its long name before two consonants in the 'ind' and 'ild' families (find, kind, child, mild). The long I sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (bike) or igh (night) — but those are not open syllables.

Tip

Long I says its name — I!

Examples

v

Phonics Rule: Letter V

Sound“v”·/v/

The letter V makes the /v/ sound, like in 'van', 'vet', and 'vine'. Upper teeth touch the lower lip with voice.

V is a voiced labiodental fricative — the upper front teeth rest on the lower lip while air and voice flow through. It is the voiced partner of F. English words rarely end in V; they usually add an E (have, live, give).

Tip

V is for van — /v/ vibrates your lips!

Examples

es

Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)

Sound“z”·/z/

After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.

Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.

Examples

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