town
PronouncedTOWN
nounA place where many people live and work, with shops and streets, smaller than a city but bigger than a village.
nounThe people who live in a town, especially as opposed to students at a university there.
nounA surname.
nounA place in Wales in the Merthyr Tydfil area.
Phonics breakdown
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
Phonics Rule: OW Diphthong
Sound“ow”·/aʊ/
OW sometimes makes the “ow” sound, like in 'cow' and 'how'.
OW can make the “ow” diphthong sound (like 'cow') or the long O sound “oh” (like 'snow'). The “ow” sound is more common before N, L, and D.
Tip
OW — ow! The cow says ow!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter N
Sound“n”·/n/
The letter N makes the /n/ sound, like in 'net', 'nap', and 'nut'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
N is a voiced alveolar nasal — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while voice hums through the nose. It is one of the most common consonants in English.
Tip
N hums through the nose — say /n/ and feel the buzz!
Examples
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