swearing
PronouncedSWEH-rihng
Using bad words or curse words that are not polite to say.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SW Blend
Sound“sw”·/sw/
SW blends /s/ and /w/ together, like in 'swim', 'sweet', and 'swing'.
SW appears only at the beginning of words or syllables. Both sounds are clearly heard — the /s/ hiss followed immediately by the /w/ glide.
Tip
SW swoops — /sw/ swim, sweet, swing!
Examples
Phonics Rule: EAR says “eer”
Sound“eer”·/ɪər/
EAR usually makes the “eer” sound, like in 'ear', 'hear', and 'near'.
EAR most often says “eer” (the 'ear' sound): ear, hear, near, year, clear, dear, fear.
Tip
Hear with your ear — hear, near, year!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Suffix -ING
Sound“ing”·/ɪŋ/
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
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