pathway
nounA path or track that people can walk along.
nounA way or plan for doing something.
nounA series of chemical changes that happen inside a living body.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter 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: Short A
The letter A makes a short sound, like in 'cat' and 'bat'.
When the letter A appears in a closed syllable (a syllable that ends with a consonant), it usually makes the short A sound /æ/. This is one of the first vowel sounds students learn.
Tip
A says /æ/ like a cat that sat on a mat.
Examples
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Unvoiced)
TH can make a soft sound /θ/, like in 'think' and 'bath'. Just air, no buzz!
The unvoiced TH /θ/ is the quiet, breathy version. Your throat doesn't vibrate. Stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air.
Tip
Unvoiced TH is quiet — think with three teeth!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter W
The letter W makes the /w/ sound, like in 'win', 'wet', and 'web'. The lips round into an O shape.
W is a voiced bilabial approximant — the lips round tightly then open as voice flows. W is sometimes silent (write, wrong) and can act as a vowel in some combinations (aw, ew, ow).
Tip
W rounds your lips — make an O then say /w/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: AY Vowel Team
AY at the end of a word says long A, like in 'play' and 'day'.
The vowel team 'ay' makes the long A sound /eɪ/ and typically appears at the end of a word or syllable. It's the end-of-word partner to 'ai'.
Tip
AY at the end of the day says long A!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
A phonics reference for teachers, parents and learners. Every English word, broken into the sounds that make it — with audio, syllables, and the rule behind each spelling.
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