nephew
PronouncedNEHF-yoo
nounThe son of your brother or sister.
nounA boy's name.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter N
Sound“n”·/n/
The letter N makes the /n/ sound, like in 'net', 'nap', and 'nut'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
N is a voiced alveolar nasal — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while voice hums through the nose. It is one of the most common consonants in English.
Tip
N hums through the nose — say /n/ and feel the buzz!
Examples
When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound “eh”. This is often confused with short I by new readers.
Tip
E says “eh” like an egg on your head.
Examples
Phonics Rule: PH Digraph
Sound“f”·/f/
PH makes the /f/ sound, like in 'phone' and 'photo'. It comes from Greek!
The digraph 'ph' always makes the /f/ sound. These words usually come from Greek. If you see PH, just say /f/.
Tip
PH phones home with an /f/ sound!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EW says “yoo”
Sound“yoo”·/juː/
EW can say “yoo” with a Y-glide, like in 'few' and 'pew'.
EW usually says “oo” (flew, grew, chew), but after some consonants it keeps a Y-glide and says “yoo”: few, mew, pew, ewe.
Tip
EW can say yoo — few, mew, pew!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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