sweep
verbTo clean a floor or surface with a broom.
verbTo move your arm or something long in a wide curve through the air.
verbTo search a place carefully to look for something or someone.
verbTo move very quickly across an area.
verbTo win all the games in a series without losing any.
nounOne single action of cleaning with a broom.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: SW Blend
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: 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
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
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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