SnapPhonics

reaper

REE-per/ˈriː.pər/noun
  1. nounA person who cuts and collects grain or other crops from fields.

  2. nounA machine that cuts and collects crops from fields.

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Syllables

reaper

2 syllables

Letters

Base word

reap

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

r

Phonics Rule: Letter R

Soundr·/r/

The letter R makes the /r/ sound, like in 'run', 'red', and 'rope'. The tongue curls back slightly.

R is a voiced approximant. The tongue curls back or bunches up without touching the roof of the mouth. When R follows a vowel it changes that vowel's sound (r-controlled vowels).

Tip

R is for run — /r/ with a curl of the tongue!

Examples

ea

Phonics Rule: EA Vowel Team (Long E)

Soundee·/iː/

When E and A are together, they usually say long E, like in 'teach' and 'beach'.

The vowel team 'ea' most commonly makes the long E sound "ee". However, it can also say short E (like 'bread') or long A (like 'great'). The long E pronunciation is by far the most common.

Tip

When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.

Examples

p

Phonics Rule: Letter P

Soundp·/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

er

Phonics Rule: Suffix -ER

Sounder·/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

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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