pretended
verbDid act as if something were true when it was not.
verbDid play games that involve make-believe.
verbDid act as though having a feeling or quality that was not real.
adjectiveNot real or genuine, but made to look or seem that way.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Prefix PRE-
PRE- means 'before'. 'Preview' means to view something before.
The prefix pre- is added to the start of a word to mean 'before' or 'in advance'. 'View' → 'preview' (view before); 'heat' → 'preheat' (heat before).
Tip
PRE- comes before — preview, predict, preheat!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter 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: Open Syllable E (Long E)
When E is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the E says its name /iː/ — like in 'he' and 'me'.
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 E at the end of a syllable says /iː/ (he, me, we, be). The long E sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — vowel teams (ee in tree, ea in read) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long E says its name — E!
Examples
Phonics Rule: ND End Blend
ND at the end of a syllable blends /n/ and /d/ together, like in 'hand', 'sand', and 'send'.
ND is a common end blend (coda blend). The nasal /n/ and voiced stop /d/ are both heard. It appears very frequently in English words.
Tip
ND ends with a d-d-d — hand, sand, send!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ED (/ɪd/ sound)
After T or D, -ED says /ɪd/ as an extra syllable, like in 'wanted' and 'needed'.
When the base word ends in T or D, -ed adds a whole new syllable /ɪd/. This is the only time the E in -ed is pronounced.
Tip
After T or D, -ED gets its own beat — want-ED, need-ED!
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.
Save words to study lists, build flashcard decks, and scan your own worksheets and books.