dusting
nounRemoving dust from furniture and other surfaces to clean them.
nounA thin layer of powder or fine material spread over something.
nounA light fall of snow.
nounThe way a bird rolls in dry dirt to clean its feathers.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter 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: Short U
The letter U makes a short sound, like in 'cup' and 'bus'.
When the letter U appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short U sound /ʌ/. This sounds like 'uh'.
Tip
U says /ʌ/ like 'uh-oh, what's up?'
Examples
Phonics Rule: ST Blend
S and T blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'stop' and 'fast'.
The blend ST combines /s/ and /t/ spoken quickly together. It can appear at the beginning or end of a word.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ING
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.