sorrowful
PronouncedSAH-roh-fuhl
adjFeeling very sad and unhappy.
adjCausing someone to feel sad or upset.
Syllables
3 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
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
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled OR
Sound“or”·/ɔːr/
When R comes after O, it makes the “or” sound, like in 'for' and 'corn'.
OR makes the “or” sound. Unlike ER, IR, UR which all sound the same, OR has its own distinct sound. The companion rule r_controlled_or_er covers the “er” pronunciation after W (word, work).
Tip
OR — the horse in the corner says “or”!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter R
Sound“r”·/r/
The letter R makes the /r/ sound, like in 'run', 'red', and 'rope'. The tongue curls back slightly.
R is a voiced approximant. The tongue curls back or bunches up without touching the roof of the mouth. When R follows a vowel it changes that vowel's sound (r-controlled vowels).
Tip
R is for run — /r/ with a curl of the tongue!
Examples
The spelling 'ow' can make the long O sound “oh”, especially at the end of a word. It can also make the “ow” diphthong sound (like 'cow').
Tip
Snow falls slow — OW says long O!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -FUL
Sound“ful”·/fəl/
Adding -FUL means 'full of', like 'helpful' (full of help) and 'beautiful'.
The suffix -ful means 'full of' or 'having the quality of'. Note: the suffix is spelled with one L (-ful), not two (-full).
Tip
FUL means full of — helpful is full of help!
Examples
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