ghosts
nounSpirits of dead people that appear to living people.
nounPale or faint shapes that are hard to see clearly.
nounUnwanted extra images that appear on a screen or in a photo by mistake.
nounPeople who write books or make art for someone else who takes the credit.
nounComputer players in racing games that follow paths you have already driven.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: GH says /g/
At the start of a word, GH says /g/, like in 'ghost'.
When GH begins a word, it makes the hard /g/ sound and the H is silent — ghost, ghetto, ghoul. (At the end of a word GH is usually silent or says /f/ — those are different rules.)
Tip
A spooky ghost — GH says /g/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable O (Long O)
When O is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the O says its name /oʊ/ — like in 'go' and 'no'.
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 O at the end of a syllable says /oʊ/ (go, no, so, o-pen). The O also says its long name in the 'old' and 'ost' families (cold, most). The long O sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (home) or vowel teams (oa in boat, ow in snow) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long O says its name — O!
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: Plural -S (/s/ sound)
Adding -S makes a word plural (more than one). After unvoiced sounds, -S says /s/, like 'cats'.
The plural -s says /s/ after unvoiced consonants (p, t, k, f, th). Like -ed, the pronunciation depends on the final sound of the base word.
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.