parachute
PronouncedPEH-ruh-shoot
a large piece of fabric shaped like an umbrella that opens in the air to help someone fall slowly and safely from a plane
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter P
Sound“p”·/p/
The letter P makes the /p/ sound, like in 'pan', 'pig', and 'pot'. Both lips press together then pop open.
P is a voiceless bilabial stop — both lips press together and release with a puff of air but no voice. It pairs with B (which is the voiced version of the same mouth position).
Tip
P pops open — press your lips and let it POP!
Examples
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled AR
Sound“ar”·/ɑːr/
When R comes after A, it changes the sound to “ar”, like in 'car' and 'star'.
When A is followed by R, the R 'bosses' the vowel and changes its sound. Instead of short A or long A, you hear “ar”. R-controlled vowels are sometimes called 'Bossy R'.
Tip
Bossy R takes the car to the farm!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Schwa
Sound“uh”·/ə/
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa “uh” is the most common vowel sound in English. Any vowel letter can make the schwa sound when it's in an unstressed syllable. It sounds like a quick, lazy 'uh'.
Tip
Schwa is lazy — any vowel can say 'uh' when it's not stressed!
Examples
Phonics Rule: CH Digraph (“sh” sound)
Sound“sh”·/ʃ/
In some words from French, CH makes the “sh” sound, like in 'chef' and 'machine'.
When CH comes from a French-origin word, it says “sh”. Common examples: chef, machine, champagne, chandelier. These words must be memorized.
Tip
French CH shushes like SH — chef, machine!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with U — “oo” (Magic E)
Sound“oo”·/uː/
Same u-consonant-e Magic E pattern, but after L, R, S, or J the U says 'oo' instead of 'yoo' — like 'rule' and 'rude'.
Same u-consonant-e spelling, but when the U follows L, R, S, or J, the Y-glide drops and the sound is pure “oo”. Companion to silent_e_u_e.
Tip
After L, R, S, J — magic E makes U say oo!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter T
Sound“t”·/t/
The letter T makes the /t/ sound, like in 'top', 'tap', and 'ten'. The tongue tip taps behind the upper teeth.
T is a voiceless alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth and releases with a puff of air. Double T (tt) makes the same /t/ sound.
Tip
T taps — touch your tongue to make /t/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent E with U — “oo” (Magic E)
Sound“oo”·/uː/
Same u-consonant-e Magic E pattern, but after L, R, S, or J the U says 'oo' instead of 'yoo' — like 'rule' and 'rude'.
Same u-consonant-e spelling, but when the U follows L, R, S, or J, the Y-glide drops and the sound is pure “oo”. Companion to silent_e_u_e.
Tip
After L, R, S, J — magic E makes U say oo!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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