throat
PronouncedTHROHT
nounThe front part of your neck.
nounThe tube inside your neck that food goes down when you swallow.
nounA narrow opening in a pipe or container.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: TH Digraph (Unvoiced)
Sound“th”·/θ/
TH can make a soft sound “th”, like in 'think' and 'bath'. Just air, no buzz!
The unvoiced TH “th” is the quiet, breathy version. Your throat doesn't vibrate. Stick your tongue between your teeth and blow air.
Tip
Unvoiced TH is quiet — think with three teeth!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter R
Sound“r”·/r/
The letter R makes the /r/ sound, like in 'run', 'red', and 'rope'. The tongue curls back slightly.
R is a voiced approximant. The tongue curls back or bunches up without touching the roof of the mouth. When R follows a vowel it changes that vowel's sound (r-controlled vowels).
Tip
R is for run — /r/ with a curl of the tongue!
Examples
Phonics Rule: OA Vowel Team
Sound“oh”·/oʊ/
When O and A are together, they say long O, like in 'boat' and 'road'.
The vowel team 'oa' reliably makes the long O sound “oh”. This is one of the more consistent vowel teams.
Tip
O and A in a boat — O does the talking!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter T
Sound“t”·/t/
The letter T makes the /t/ sound, like in 'top', 'tap', and 'ten'. The tongue tip taps behind the upper teeth.
T is a voiceless alveolar stop. The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth and releases with a puff of air. Double T (tt) makes the same /t/ sound.
Tip
T taps — touch your tongue to make /t/!
Examples
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