motion
nounThe act of moving from one place to another.
verbA movement you make with your hand or head to show what you want someone to do.
nounA formal suggestion that people vote on in a meeting.
nounA feeling or desire that makes you want to do something.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter 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: Open Syllable O (Long O)
When O is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the O says its name /oʊ/ — like in 'go' and 'no'.
This is the open-syllable pattern: a syllable that ends in a vowel leaves it 'open', so it says its long name. Here, a lone O at the end of a syllable says /oʊ/ (go, no, so, o-pen). The O also says its long name in the 'old' and 'ost' families (cold, most). The long O sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (home) or vowel teams (oa in boat, ow in snow) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long O says its name — O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -TION
-TION says /shun/! It turns verbs into nouns, like 'action' and 'nation'.
The suffix -tion is pronounced /ʃən/ (shun). It usually turns a verb into a noun: 'act' → 'action'. The TI makes a /ʃ/ sound, which is unusual for T.
Tip
TION says SHUN — the nation takes action!
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.