sloth
nounUnwillingness to work or make an effort.
nounA large furry animal from South America that hangs from tree branches and moves very slowly.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SL Blend
S and L blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'slow' and 'sleep'.
The blend SL combines /s/ and /l/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable O (Long O)
When O is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the O says its name /oʊ/ — like in 'go' and 'no'.
This is the open-syllable pattern: a syllable that ends in a vowel leaves it 'open', so it says its long name. Here, a lone O at the end of a syllable says /oʊ/ (go, no, so, o-pen). The O also says its long name in the 'old' and 'ost' families (cold, most). The long O sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (home) or vowel teams (oa in boat, ow in snow) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long O says its name — O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Unvoiced)
TH can make a soft sound /θ/, like in 'think' and 'bath'. Just air, no buzz!
The unvoiced TH /θ/ is the quiet, breathy version. Your throat doesn't vibrate. Stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air.
Tip
Unvoiced TH is quiet — think with three teeth!
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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