obey
verbTo do what someone tells you to do.
verbTo follow a rule or law.
Phonics breakdown
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: Letter B
The letter B makes the /b/ sound, like in 'bat', 'big', and 'bug'. Both lips press together then release.
B is a voiced bilabial stop — both lips press together and release with voice. It always makes the /b/ sound except when silent at the end of words after m (as in 'lamb' or 'comb').
Tip
B looks like a bat — and bat starts with /b/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EY says long A
EY can say the long A sound /eɪ/, like in 'they' and 'obey'.
The vowel team EY often makes the long A sound /eɪ/: they, obey, grey, prey, hey, survey. (EY also says long E /iː/ at the end of many words — money, key, honey — where the Y is doing the 'long E' job.)
Tip
EY says long A — they obey!
Examples
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