scent
nounA smell, especially one that is easy to notice.
nounA liquid with a pleasant smell that people put on their skin.
nounA smell left by an animal that can be followed to find it.
nounThe ability to smell things.
verbTo smell something.
verbTo guess that something might happen or be true.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Word forms:
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Soft SC says /s/
Before E, I, or Y, the SC says just /s/ — the C is soft, like in 'scene' and 'science'.
When SC comes before E, I, or Y, the C goes soft and SC says /s/ (scene, science, scent, scissors, descend). Before other letters SC says /sk/ (scan, score, school). A few words like 'muscle' also have a silent C in SC.
Tip
SC before E, I, Y is soft — you hear /s/ in the science scene!
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: NT End Blend
NT at the end of a syllable blends /n/ and /t/ together, like in 'tent', 'mint', and 'want'.
NT is a very common end blend. The nasal /n/ flows into the stop /t/. In fast speech the /t/ is sometimes barely voiced, but both sounds are present.
Tip
NT tents up at the end — tent, mint, hunt!
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.