question
nounSomething you ask someone when you want to know something.
verbTo ask someone something because you want to know the answer.
nounA subject or topic that needs to be thought about or investigated.
verbTo have doubt about whether something is true or correct.
nounA feeling of doubt or not believing that something is true.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: QU Blend
QU always makes the /kw/ sound together, like in 'queen', 'quick', and 'quit'.
Q almost never appears without U in English. The QU combination blends /k/ and /w/ into a single unit. Think of QU as a team that always works together.
Tip
QU is a team — /kw/ like a duck that says quack!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short E
The letter E makes a short sound, like in 'bed' and 'red'.
When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound /ɛ/. This is often confused with short I by new readers.
Tip
E says /ɛ/ like an egg on your head.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter S
The letter S usually makes the /s/ sound, like in 'sun', 'sit', and 'sock'. Air hisses through a small gap.
S is a voiceless alveolar fricative when it makes the /s/ sound. At the end of many words it can also make a /z/ sound (as in 'dogs' or 'has'). At the start of a word it is always /s/.
Tip
S hisses like a snake — sssssun!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -TION
-TION says /shun/! It turns verbs into nouns, like 'action' and 'nation'.
The suffix -tion is pronounced /ʃən/ (shun). It usually turns a verb into a noun: 'act' → 'action'. The TI makes a /ʃ/ sound, which is unusual for T.
Tip
TION says SHUN — the nation takes action!
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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