squeal
nounA short, loud, high sound that is sharp and piercing.
verbTo make a short, loud, high sound that is sharp and piercing.
nounThe noise a pig makes.
verbTo make a squealing noise when something rubs or moves.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter 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: QU Blend
QU always makes the /kw/ sound together, like in 'queen', 'quick', and 'quit'.
Q almost never appears without U in English. The QU combination blends /k/ and /w/ into a single unit. Think of QU as a team that always works together.
Tip
QU is a team — /kw/ like a duck that says quack!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EA Vowel Team (Long E)
When E and A are together, they usually say long E, like in 'teach' and 'beach'.
The vowel team 'ea' most commonly makes the long E sound /iː/. However, it can also say short E (like 'bread') or long A (like 'great'). The long E pronunciation is by far the most common.
Tip
When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
The letter L makes the /l/ sound, like in 'lamp', 'leg', and 'lip'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
L is a voiced lateral approximant — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows around the sides. Double L (ll) makes the same /l/ sound.
Tip
L is for lamp — light it up with /l/!
Examples
What is SnapPhonics?
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