owl
PronouncedOWL
nounA large bird with big forward-facing eyes that hunts at night.
nounA person who seems wise and serious, or who likes to stay awake at night.
nounA type of butterfly with large eye-like spots on its wings.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: OW Diphthong
Sound“ow”·/aʊ/
OW sometimes makes the “ow” sound, like in 'cow' and 'how'.
OW can make the “ow” diphthong sound (like 'cow') or the long O sound “oh” (like 'snow'). The “ow” sound is more common before N, L, and D.
Tip
OW — ow! The cow says ow!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
Sound“l”·/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
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