SnapPhonics

harder

HAR-der/ˈhɑr.dər/adjective
  1. adjMore solid and firm to touch.

  2. adjMore difficult or needing more effort to do or understand.

  3. adjMore resistant to being broken, cut, or pushed through.

  4. adjMore severe, harsh, or unkind.

  5. advWith more force or effort.

  6. adjMore strong.

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Syllables

harder

2 syllables

Letters

Base word

hard

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

h

Phonics Rule: Letter H

The letter H makes the /h/ sound, like in 'hat', 'hop', and 'hen'. It is a soft breath of air.

H is a voiceless glottal fricative — just a puff of air with no friction. It always appears before a vowel and is sometimes silent (as in 'hour' or 'honest').

Tip

H is a puff of air — breathe out and say /h/!

Examples

ar

Phonics Rule: R-Controlled AR

When R comes after A, it changes the sound to /ɑːr/, like in 'car' and 'star'.

When A is followed by R, the R 'bosses' the vowel and changes its sound. Instead of short A or long A, you hear /ɑːr/. R-controlled vowels are sometimes called 'Bossy R'.

Tip

Bossy R takes the car to the farm!

Examples

d

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

er

Phonics Rule: Suffix -ER

Adding -ER can mean 'more' (bigger) or 'a person who' (teacher).

The suffix -er has two main uses: comparative ('big' → 'bigger' = more big) and agent ('teach' → 'teacher' = a person who teaches).

Examples

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