silk
nounA soft, smooth cloth made by weaving thin threads together.
nounA fine thread or yarn that is made from fibers produced by silkworms.
nounA smooth fiber produced by a silkworm or spider.
nounA piece of clothing made from silk material.
nounLong sheets of silk hung in the air that acrobats perform tricks on.
nounA parachute.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter S
The letter S usually makes the /s/ sound, like in 'sun', 'sit', and 'sock'. Air hisses through a small gap.
S is a voiceless alveolar fricative when it makes the /s/ sound. At the end of many words it can also make a /z/ sound (as in 'dogs' or 'has'). At the start of a word it is always /s/.
Tip
S hisses like a snake — sssssun!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short I
The letter I makes a short sound, like in 'sit' and 'big'.
When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound /ɪ/. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says /ɪ/ like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: LK End Blend
LK at the end of a syllable blends /l/ and /k/ together, like in 'milk', 'silk', and 'bulk'.
LK is an end blend where the lateral /l/ leads into the velar stop /k/.
Tip
LK silks at the end — milk, silk, bulk!
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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