twilight
nounThe soft, faint light you see in the sky just before sunrise or especially after sunset.
nounThe time of day when this soft light appears, between daylight and complete darkness.
nounA time or situation that is in-between or unclear, like fading away.
adjectiveLooking dim and faintly lit, like things do in twilight.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: TW Blend
TW blends /t/ and /w/ together, like in 'twin', 'twig', and 'twist'.
TW appears at the beginning of words and blends the /t/ stop and /w/ glide smoothly together.
Tip
TW is twice as fun — /tw/ twin, twig, twist!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Open Syllable I (Long I)
When I is the last letter of a syllable, the syllable is open and the I says its name /aɪ/ — like in 'hi' and 'fi-nal'.
This is the open-syllable pattern: a syllable that ends in a vowel leaves it 'open', so it says its long name. Here, a lone I at the end of a syllable says /aɪ/ (hi, si-lent). The I also says its long name before two consonants in the 'ind' and 'ild' families (find, kind, child, mild). The long I sound is also spelled other ways, each its own rule — silent E (bike) or igh (night) — but those are not open syllables.
Tip
Long I says its name — I!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter L
The letter L makes the /l/ sound, like in 'lamp', 'leg', and 'lip'. The tongue tip touches behind the upper teeth.
L is a voiced lateral approximant — the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows around the sides. Double L (ll) makes the same /l/ sound.
Tip
L is for lamp — light it up with /l/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: IGH Pattern
IGH says long I — the GH is silent! Like in 'night' and 'light'.
The pattern 'igh' makes the long I sound /aɪ/. The 'gh' is completely silent. This pattern always appears before T in common English words.
Tip
IGH — I goes high, GH is shy (silent)!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter 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
What is SnapPhonics?
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