shaft
PronouncedSHAFT
nounA vertical passage that goes down into the ground, like in a mine or for an elevator.
nounA long, narrow, turning bar or pole inside a machine that helps move power from one part to another.
nounThe long, narrow, straight part of a spear or arrow.
nounOne of two poles attached to a vehicle that a horse or other animal pulls with.
nounA beam or ray of light shining through the air.
nounThe long, narrow part in the middle of a feather.
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: FT End Blend
Sound“ft”·/ft/
FT at the end of a syllable blends /f/ and /t/ together, like in 'left', 'soft', and 'gift'.
FT is an end blend where the voiceless /f/ flows into the voiceless stop /t/. Both teeth-and-lip /f/ and tongue-tap /t/ are heard.
Tip
FT lifts at the end — left, soft, gift!
Examples
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