spreading
verbOpening out a material so it covers more space.
verbStretching out in different directions.
verbScattering or distributing over an area.
verbBecoming more widely present or known.
verbPutting a thin layer of something onto a surface.
nounA large meal laid out on a table.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SPR Blend
SPR blends three consonants together: /s/, /p/, and /r/, like in 'spring', 'spray', and 'spread'.
SPR is a three-letter onset blend. All three sounds are heard: the /s/ hiss, the /p/ pop, and the /r/ glide — say them quickly together.
Tip
SPR springs — /spr/ like flowers in spring!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EA Vowel Team (Short E)
Sometimes EA makes the short E sound, like in 'bread' and 'head'.
In some common words, 'ea' makes the short E sound /ɛ/ instead of the expected long E. These words need to be memorized since there's no reliable rule to predict when EA says short E.
Tip
Bread, head, dead — EA says /ɛ/ instead!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter D
The letter D makes the /d/ sound, like in 'dog', 'day', and 'dig'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
D is a voiced alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge just behind the upper front teeth, then releases with voice. It reliably makes the /d/ sound in almost all positions.
Tip
D is for dog — and dog starts with /d/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ING
Adding -ING to a verb shows something is happening right now, like 'running' and 'playing'.
The suffix -ing is added to verbs to show an ongoing action (present participle). Sometimes the base word changes: drop silent E ('make' → 'making'), double final consonant ('run' → 'running').
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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