sphere
PronouncedSFEER
nounA round solid object shaped like a ball.
nounAn area of activity or influence that someone is involved in.
nounA surface in space where every point is the same distance from a center.
nounOne of the invisible hollow balls in space that people long ago believed carried the stars and planets around the Earth.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SP Blend
Sound“sp”·/sp/
S and P blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'spin' and 'sport'.
The blend SP combines /s/ and /p/ spoken quickly together.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter H
Sound“h”·/h/
The letter H makes the /h/ sound, like in 'hat', 'hop', and 'hen'. It is a soft breath of air.
H is a voiceless glottal fricative — just a puff of air with no friction. It always appears before a vowel and is sometimes silent (as in 'hour' or 'honest').
Tip
H is a puff of air — breathe out and say /h/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: ERE says “eer” (here)
Sound“eer”·/ɪər/
ERE can make the “eer” sound, like in 'here' and 'mere'.
ERE says “eer” (the 'ear' sound) in here, mere, sphere, severe, atmosphere.
Tip
Come here, my dear — here, mere, sphere!
Examples
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