SnapPhonics

sister's

PronouncedSIHS-terz

/ˈsɪs.tərz/determiner
  1. nounA girl or woman who has the same parents as another person.

  2. nounA woman who is a member of a religious group, especially one who lives in a convent.

  3. nounA woman you feel a special bond with because you share the same interests, beliefs or background.

  4. nounA senior nurse in a hospital who is in charge of other nurses.

  5. nounA woman or girl who is a member of the same organization, group or community as another person.

  6. nounSomething that belongs to the same group or type as another thing.

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Syllables

sister's

2 syllables

Letters

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

s

Phonics Rule: Letter S

Sound“s”·/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

i

Phonics Rule: Short I

Sound“ih”·/ɪ/

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 “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.

Tip

I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.

Examples

st

Phonics Rule: ST Blend

Sound“st”·/st/

S and T blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'stop' and 'fast'.

The blend ST combines /s/ and /t/ spoken quickly together. It can appear at the beginning or end of a word.

Examples

er

Phonics Rule: R-Controlled ER

Sound“er”·/ɜːr/

When R comes after E, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'her' and 'fern'.

ER makes the same sound as IR and UR — they all say “er”. ER is the most common spelling of this sound, especially at the end of words.

Tip

ER, IR, and UR all sound the same — Bossy R wins again!

Examples

Select a segment to see the phonics rule.
s

Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)

Sound“z”·/z/

After a buzzing sound or a vowel, the plural ending says /z/ — like 'dogs' and 'shoes'.

Put a finger on your throat and say 'zzzz' — you feel a buzz. When the word ends in a buzzing (voiced) sound or a vowel, the plural ending buzzes too and says /z/. This happens whether the word is spelled -s (dogs) or -es (shoes, trees), because in shoes the e is silent and only the s is sounded. Most people never notice they are doing this.

Examples

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