homeless
PronouncedHOHM-luhs
Not having a house to live in.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter H
Sound“h”·/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: Silent E with O (Magic E)
Sound“oh”·/oʊ/
In the o-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the O say its name — like in 'home' and 'bone'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.
In the pattern o-consonant-e (like 'home'), the final E is silent but makes the O say its long sound “oh”.
Tip
Magic E makes O say its name!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter M
Sound“m”·/m/
The letter M makes the /m/ sound, like in 'map', 'mud', and 'mop'. Both lips press together with voice through the nose.
M is a voiced bilabial nasal — both lips press together while the voice hums through the nose. Double M (mm) makes the same /m/ sound.
Tip
M hums like mmm — press your lips and hum!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with O (Magic E)
Sound“oh”·/oʊ/
In the o-consonant-e pattern, the E at the end is silent and makes the O say its name — like in 'home' and 'bone'. Teachers often call this the Magic E.
In the pattern o-consonant-e (like 'home'), the final E is silent but makes the O say its long sound “oh”.
Tip
Magic E makes O say its name!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -LESS
Sound“liss”·/lɪs/
The suffix -LESS means 'without'. It turns a noun or verb into an adjective.
-LESS means without: helpless = without help, fearless = without fear, careless = without care. It is always pronounced “liss” and never changes the spelling of the base word.
Tip
-LESS means without — helpless means without help!
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.