stem
nounThe long, thin part of a plant that grows up from the ground and holds up the leaves and flowers.
nounA thin part that holds up a single leaf or flower on a plant.
nounA thin part on something made by people, like the long part of a wine glass or pipe.
verbTo take off the stem from something.
verbTo come from something or have it as a cause.
verbTo stop or hold back the flow of something.
Syllables
1 syllable
Letters
Phonics breakdown
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
Phonics Rule: Short E
The letter E makes a short sound, like in 'bed' and 'red'.
When the letter E appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short E sound /ɛ/. This is often confused with short I by new readers.
Tip
E says /ɛ/ like an egg on your head.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter M
The letter M makes the /m/ sound, like in 'map', 'mud', and 'mop'. Both lips press together with voice through the nose.
M is a voiced bilabial nasal — both lips press together while the voice hums through the nose. Double M (mm) makes the same /m/ sound.
Tip
M hums like mmm — press your lips and hum!
Examples
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