girls
PronouncedGERLZ
nounMore than one female child.
nounMore than one female friend.
nounMore than one female pet or animal, often spoken to with affection.
nounA way to speak to or about a group of females.
nounMore than one daughter.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Hard G
Sound“g”·/ɡ/
G makes the /g/ sound before A, O, U, or a consonant, like in 'go' and 'game'.
The letter G makes the hard /g/ sound when followed by A, O, U, or a consonant. Examples: go, game, give, glad, grab.
Tip
G says /g/ before A, O, U — go, game, glad!
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled IR
Sound“er”·/ɜːr/
When R comes after I, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'bird' and 'first'.
IR makes the same “er” sound as ER and UR. There's no difference in pronunciation — only in spelling.
Tip
The bird in a shirt says “er”!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
Sound“l”·/l/
The letter L makes the /l/ sound, like in 'lamp', 'leg', and 'lip'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
L is a voiced lateral approximant — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows around the sides. Double L (ll) makes the same /l/ sound.
Tip
L is for lamp — light it up with /l/!
Examples
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
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.