SnapPhonics

house

HOWS/ˈhaʊs/noun
  1. nounA building where people live.

  2. nounThe people who live together in the same place.

  3. nounA building used for a particular purpose, like a lighthouse or boathouse.

  4. nounA family line, especially a royal or noble family.

  5. nounA shelter or home for an animal.

  6. verbTo provide shelter or a place to stay in something.

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Syllables

house

1 syllable

Letters

Word forms:

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

ou

Phonics Rule: OU Diphthong

OU makes the /aʊ/ sound, like in 'out' and 'house'.

The diphthong OU glides from /a/ to /ʊ/. It usually appears in the middle of a word. OU has several possible sounds, but /aʊ/ is the most common.

Tip

OU — ouch! I'm out of the house!

Examples

s

Phonics Rule: Letter S

The letter S usually makes the /s/ sound, like in 'sun', 'sit', and 'sock'. Air hisses through a small gap.

S is a voiceless alveolar fricative when it makes the /s/ sound. At the end of many words it can also make a /z/ sound (as in 'dogs' or 'has'). At the start of a word it is always /s/.

Tip

S hisses like a snake — sssssun!

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

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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