shadows
PronouncedSHA-dohz
Dark areas where light is blocked by something in the way.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SH Digraph
Sound“sh”·/ʃ/
S and H together make the quiet sound “sh”, like in 'ship' and 'fish'.
The digraph 'sh' makes the “sh” sound. Think of the 'shh, be quiet' sound. It can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.
Tip
SH says 'shhh' — be quiet on the ship!
Examples
When the letter A appears in a closed syllable (a syllable that ends with a consonant), it usually makes the short A sound “a”. This is one of the first vowel sounds students learn.
Tip
A says “a” like a cat that sat on a mat.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter D
Sound“d”·/d/
The letter D makes the /d/ sound, like in 'dog', 'day', and 'dig'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
D is a voiced alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, then releases with voice. It reliably makes the /d/ sound in almost all positions.
Tip
D is for dog — and dog starts with /d/!
Examples
The spelling 'ow' can make the long O sound “oh”, especially at the end of a word. It can also make the “ow” diphthong sound (like 'cow').
Tip
Snow falls slow — OW says long O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)
Sound“z”·/z/
After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.
Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.
Examples
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