sniff
verbTo breathe in quickly and quietly through your nose.
nounA short sound made by breathing in through your nose.
verbTo say something while breathing in quickly through your nose, often because you are sad or sick.
verbTo show that you think something is not good by breathing in sharply through your nose.
verbTo try to find out about something that is not your business.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SN Blend
S and N blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'snow' and 'snap'.
The blend SN combines /s/ and /n/ spoken quickly together.
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: Double Consonant
Two of the same consonant together make just one sound, like the LL in 'ball' or TT in 'butter'.
When two identical consonants appear together, they make just one consonant sound, and the doubling signals a short vowel before it. A common case is the FLOSS rule: a one-syllable word with a short vowel doubles a final f, l, s, or z (off, ball, miss, buzz). Examples: ball, butter, happy, mitten, egg, off.
Tip
Double consonants make one sound — ball, butter, egg!
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.