higher
adjectiveAt or to a greater distance from the ground or a lower level.
verbTo make something go up or become taller.
verbTo go up or climb towards the top of something.
nounA Scottish school exam taken before going to university.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
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
Phonics Rule: IGH Pattern
IGH says long I — the GH is silent! Like in 'night' and 'light'.
The pattern 'igh' makes the long I sound /aɪ/. The 'gh' is completely silent. This pattern always appears before T in common English words.
Tip
IGH — I goes high, GH is shy (silent)!
Examples
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
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.
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