knuckle
nounOne of the joints in your fingers where the bones bend.
verbTo rub or press something with your knuckles.
verbTo bend your fingers.
verbTo give in or stop fighting back.
nounA piece of meat from an animal's leg.
nounA moving part that joins two things together in a machine.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Silent K in KN
In KN, the K is silent! You only say /n/, like in 'know' and 'knee'.
When K comes before N at the beginning of a word, the K is completely silent. You only pronounce the N. This comes from Old English when the K was actually pronounced.
Tip
K is silent when N is next — knock, knock, who's there? Just N!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short U
The letter U makes a short sound, like in 'cup' and 'bus'.
When the letter U appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short U sound /ʌ/. This sounds like 'uh'.
Tip
U says /ʌ/ like 'uh-oh, what's up?'
Examples
Phonics Rule: CK Digraph
CK together makes the /k/ sound, like in 'back' and 'kick'.
The digraph 'ck' appears right after a short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word. If the vowel is short, use CK. If the vowel is long, use just K (like 'make').
Tip
Short vowel? CK comes quick — back, kick, duck!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
The letter L makes the /l/ sound, like in 'lamp', 'leg', and 'lip'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
L is a voiced lateral approximant — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows around the sides. Double L (ll) makes the same /l/ sound.
Tip
L is for lamp — light it up with /l/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Schwa
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel sound in English. Any vowel letter can make the schwa sound when it's in an unstressed syllable. It sounds like a quick, lazy 'uh'.
Tip
Schwa is lazy — any vowel can say 'uh' when it's not stressed!
Examples
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