shell
nounA hard outer covering that protects the soft body of an animal like a snail, crab, or oyster.
nounThe hard covering of a bird's egg.
nounThe outer part or skin of a nut.
nounA pod that holds seeds inside, like a pea pod.
nounThe basic outer frame or structure of something that is not yet finished inside.
nounA fast, lightweight boat used for racing.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SH Digraph
S and H together make the quiet sound /ʃ/, like in 'ship' and 'fish'.
The digraph 'sh' makes the /ʃ/ 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
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: 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.