roll
verbTo turn over and over, moving forward by spinning round and round.
nounSomething made by wrapping it up into a tube or ball shape.
verbTo wrap something up tightly, often all the way around.
verbTo make a deep rumbling sound, like thunder.
verbTo move by turning something on wheels or round things underneath.
verbTo throw dice to see what number comes up.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter 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
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable O (Long O)
When O is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the O says its name /oʊ/ — like in 'go' and 'no'.
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 O at the end of a syllable says /oʊ/ (go, no, so, o-pen). The O also says its long name in the 'old' and 'ost' families (cold, most). The long O sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (home) or vowel teams (oa in boat, ow in snow) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long O says its name — O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Double Consonant
Two of the same consonant together make just one sound, like the LL in 'ball' or TT in 'butter'.
When two identical consonants appear together, they make just one consonant sound, and the doubling signals a short vowel before it. A common case is the FLOSS rule: a one-syllable word with a short vowel doubles a final f, l, s, or z (off, ball, miss, buzz). Examples: ball, butter, happy, mitten, egg, off.
Tip
Double consonants make one sound — ball, butter, egg!
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.