SnapPhonics

entertainment

ehn-ter-TAYN-muhnt/ˌɛn.tər.ˈteɪn.mənt/noun
  1. nounSomething you watch or do for fun and pleasure.

  2. nounA show or performance put on to make people happy and amused.

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Syllables

entertainment

4 syllables

Letters

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

e

Phonics Rule: Short E

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 /ɛ/. This is often confused with short I by new readers.

Tip

E says /ɛ/ like an egg on your head.

Examples

nt

Phonics Rule: NT End Blend

NT at the end of a syllable blends /n/ and /t/ together, like in 'tent', 'mint', and 'want'.

NT is a very common end blend. The nasal /n/ flows into the stop /t/. In fast speech the /t/ is sometimes barely voiced, but both sounds are present.

Tip

NT tents up at the end — tent, mint, hunt!

Examples

er

Phonics Rule: R-Controlled ER

When R comes after E, it makes the /ɜːr/ sound, like in 'her' and 'fern'.

ER makes the same sound as IR and UR — they all say /ɜːr/. ER is the most common spelling of this sound, especially at the end of words.

Tip

ER, IR, and UR all sound the same — Bossy R wins again!

Examples

t

Phonics Rule: Letter 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

ai

Phonics Rule: AI Vowel Team

When A and I are together, they say long A, like in 'rain' and 'train'.

The vowel team 'ai' makes the long A sound /eɪ/. It usually appears in the middle of a word. At the end of a word, the same sound is usually spelled 'ay'.

Tip

AI in the middle says long A — rain on the train!

Examples

n

Phonics Rule: Letter N

The letter N makes the /n/ sound, like in 'net', 'nap', and 'nut'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.

N is a voiced alveolar nasal — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while voice hums through the nose. It is one of the most common consonants in English.

Tip

N hums through the nose — say /n/ and feel the buzz!

Examples

ment

Phonics Rule: Suffix -MENT

The suffix -MENT turns a verb into a noun meaning the result or state of the action.

-MENT is a noun-forming suffix. It is added to verbs (move → movement, enjoy → enjoyment, treat → treatment). The -MENT syllable uses the schwa sound: /mənt/.

Tip

-MENT makes it a thing — move + ment = movement!

Examples

What is SnapPhonics?

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