SnapPhonics

helps

HEHLPS/ˈhɛlps/noun
  1. verbGives assistance or support to someone or something.

  2. verbMakes something better or easier in some way.

  3. verbGives someone food or drink at a meal.

  4. nounProvides what someone needs to do something.

  5. nounPeople who work for someone to keep a house or farm running.

  6. nounInformation that explains how to use a computer program.

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Syllables

helps

1 syllable

Letters

Base word

help

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

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

lp

Phonics Rule: LP End Blend

LP at the end of a syllable blends /l/ and /p/ together, like in 'help' and 'gulp'.

LP is an end blend — you hear both the /l/ and the /p/. The tongue makes /l/, then the lips pop for /p/.

Tip

LP blends at the end — help, gulp, yelp!

Examples

s

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

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