SnapPhonics

engrave

Pronouncedihn-GRAYV

/ɪn.ˈɡreɪv/verb
  1. verbTo cut letters or pictures into the surface of something.

  2. verbTo carve a design or shape into a hard material.

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Syllables

engrave

2 syllables

Letters

Word forms:

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

e

Phonics Rule: Short E

Sound“eh”·/ɛ/

The letter E makes a short sound, like in 'bed' and 'red'.

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

ng

Phonics Rule: NG Digraph

Sound“ng”·/ŋ/

NG together makes the “ng” sound at the back of your mouth, like in 'ring' and 'song'.

The digraph 'ng' makes the nasal sound “ng”. This sound is made at the back of your mouth/throat. It almost always appears at the end of a word or syllable.

Tip

Sing a song — NG rings along!

Examples

r

Phonics Rule: Letter R

Sound“r”·/r/

The letter R makes the /r/ sound, like in 'run', 'red', and 'rope'. The tongue curls back slightly.

R is a voiced approximant. The tongue curls back or bunches up without touching the roof of the mouth. When R follows a vowel it changes that vowel's sound (r-controlled vowels).

Tip

R is for run — /r/ with a curl of the tongue!

Examples

Sound“ay”·/eɪ/

In the a-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the A say its name — like in 'cake' and 'make'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.

In the pattern a-consonant-e (like 'cake'), the final E is silent but it makes the A say its long sound “ay”. This is called the 'magic E' or 'silent E' rule.

Tip

Magic E makes A say its name!

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

Sound“ay”·/eɪ/

In the a-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the A say its name — like in 'cake' and 'make'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.

In the pattern a-consonant-e (like 'cake'), the final E is silent but it makes the A say its long sound “ay”. This is called the 'magic E' or 'silent E' rule.

Tip

Magic E makes A say its name!

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.

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