this
detThe person or thing you can see right now or very close to you.
detThe person or thing that was just talked about.
detThe person or thing that is about to be talked about.
detThe time right now or the one coming next.
advTo the amount or size being shown or described.
"this" does not follow standard phonics patterns and should be memorized.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Voiced)
TH can make a buzzy sound /ð/, like in 'this' and 'the'. You can feel your throat vibrate!
The voiced TH /ð/ is the vibrating version. Put your hand on your throat — you can feel it buzz. This sound appears in very common words like 'the', 'this', 'that', 'they'.
Tip
Voiced TH buzzes — this, that, the!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short I
The letter I makes a short sound, like in 'sit' and 'big'.
When the letter I appears in a closed syllable, it usually makes the short I sound /ɪ/. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says /ɪ/ like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Plural -S (/z/ sound)
After voiced sounds, -S says /z/, like in 'dogs' and 'birds'.
After voiced consonants and vowels, the plural -s says /z/. Most people don't notice this — it sounds natural.
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.
Save words to study lists, build flashcard decks, and scan your own worksheets and books.