SnapPhonics

steepest

STEE-puhst/ˈstiː.pəst/adjective
  1. adjectiveRising or falling at an angle closest to straight up and down.

  2. adjectiveCosting the most money.

  3. verbSoaking leaves or tea bags in hot water to make a drink.

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Syllables

steepest

2 syllables

Letters

Base word

steep

Related words (same phonics pattern)

Phonics breakdown

st

Phonics Rule: ST Blend

S and T blend together — you hear both sounds! Like in 'stop' and 'fast'.

The blend ST combines /s/ and /t/ spoken quickly together. It can appear at the beginning or end of a word.

Examples

ee

Phonics Rule: EE Vowel Team

When two E's are together, they say long E, like in 'tree' and 'see'.

The vowel team 'ee' almost always makes the long E sound /iː/. This is one of the most reliable vowel teams in English.

Tip

Two E's together always agree — they say /iː/!

Examples

p

Phonics Rule: Letter P

The letter P makes the /p/ sound, like in 'pan', 'pig', and 'pot'. Both lips press together then pop open.

P is a voiceless bilabial stop — both lips press together and release with a puff of air but no voice. It pairs with B (which is the voiced version of the same mouth position).

Tip

P pops open — press your lips and let it POP!

Examples

est

Phonics Rule: Suffix -EST

Adding -EST means 'the most', like 'biggest' and 'fastest'.

The suffix -est makes a superlative — it means 'the most' of something. 'Big' → 'biggest' means the most big of all.

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.

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