shelter
nounA place where you can go to be safe from rain, wind, cold, or other bad weather.
nounA simple structure built to protect people or animals from the weather.
nounA building where homeless people or people in danger can stay and sleep.
nounA place where lost or unwanted animals are looked after.
verbTo keep someone or something safe from harm or bad weather.
verbTo go somewhere safe to escape from danger or bad weather.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
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: LT End Blend
LT at the end of a syllable blends /l/ and /t/ together, like in 'belt', 'melt', and 'salt'.
LT is an end blend. The lateral /l/ glides into the stop /t/ at the end of the syllable.
Tip
LT melts at the end — belt, melt, salt!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ER
Adding -ER can mean 'more' (bigger) or 'a person who' (teacher).
The suffix -er has two main uses: comparative ('big' → 'bigger' = more big) and agent ('teach' → 'teacher' = a person who teaches).
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.
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