oyster
PronouncedOYS-ter
nounA shellfish with a hard shell that lives in the sea and can be eaten as food.
nounA small piece of dark meat found inside a chicken's body near the backbone.
nounA pale greyish-beige colour.
nounA person who does not tell people their secrets.
verbTo catch oysters from the sea.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: OY Diphthong
Sound“oy”·/ɔɪ/
OY makes the “oy” sound at the end of a word, like in 'boy' and 'toy'.
OY makes the same sound as OI but appears at the end of a word or syllable. OI = middle, OY = end.
Tip
OY at the end — the boy has a toy!
Examples
Phonics Rule: ST Blend
Sound“st”·/st/
S and T blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'stop' and 'fast'.
The blend ST combines /s/ and /t/ spoken quickly together. It can appear at the beginning or end of a word.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ER
Sound“er”·/ɜːr/
Adding -ER can mean 'more' (bigger) or 'a person who' (teacher).
The suffix -er has two main uses: comparative ('big' → 'bigger' = more big) and agent ('teach' → 'teacher' = a person who teaches).
Examples
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