SnapPhonics

smoker

SMOH-ker/ˈsmoʊ.kər/noun
  1. nounSomeone who regularly smokes tobacco.

  2. nounA tool that makes smoke to calm bees so people can collect honey.

  3. nounA person or machine that uses smoke to preserve food.

  4. nounAn opening on the ocean floor that shoots out hot water and minerals.

  5. nounA person's family name.

Save to your word list — create a free account

Syllables

smoker

2 syllables

Letters

Base word

smoke

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

sm

Phonics Rule: SM Blend

S and M blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'small' and 'smile'.

The blend SM combines /s/ and /m/ spoken quickly together.

Examples

o

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

k

Phonics Rule: Letter K

The letter K makes the /k/ sound, like in 'kite', 'kit', and 'king'.

K always makes the /k/ sound. It is used before E, I, and Y where C would make an /s/ sound instead. K is silent before N at the start of a word (knife, know).

Tip

K is for kite — and kite starts with /k/!

Examples

er

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.

Save words to study lists, build flashcard decks, and scan your own worksheets and books.