shyness
PronouncedSHEYE-nuhs
nounThe feeling of being nervous or uncomfortable when you are with people you do not know well.
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
Phonics Rule: Y as Long I
Sound“eye”·/aɪ/
When Y is at the end of a short word, it says long I, like in 'fly' and 'cry'.
When Y appears at the end of a single-syllable word, it makes the long I sound “eye”. Examples: fly, cry, by, my, sky, dry, try.
Tip
Y at the end of a short word says I — fly, cry, sky!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -NESS
Sound“niss”·/nɪs/
Adding -NESS turns a describing word into a thing, like 'happy' → 'happiness'.
The suffix -ness turns an adjective into a noun. It means 'the state of being [adjective]'. 'Happy' → 'happiness' = the state of being happy.
Examples
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