SnapPhonics

twinkle

PronouncedTWIHNG-kuhl

/ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/verb

  1. verbTo shine with a light that flickers on and off.

  2. nounA bright spark or flash of light.

  3. verbTo blink or move your eyes quickly.

  4. nounA very short amount of time.

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Syllables

twinkle

2 syllables

Letters

Word forms:

twinkled

Related words (same phonics pattern)

twistedtwigtwigstwinkled

Phonics breakdown

tw

Phonics Rule: TW Blend

Sound“tw”·/tw/

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

i

Phonics Rule: Short I

Sound“ih”·/ɪ/

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 “ih”. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.

Tip

I says “ih” like an itch you can't miss.

Examples

nk

Phonics Rule: NK End Blend

Sound“ngk”·/ŋk/

NK at the end of a syllable makes the “ngk” sound, like in 'sink', 'bank', and 'drink'.

NK blends the nasal “ng” (like in 'sing') with /k/. The N in NK is not a regular /n/ — it shifts to “ng” because of the K that follows.

Tip

NK ends with a clunk — sink, bank, drink!

Examples

l

Phonics Rule: Letter L

Sound“l”·/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

e

Phonics Rule: Schwa

Sound“uh”·/ə/

In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.

Schwa “uh” is the most common vowel sound in English. Any vowel letter can make the schwa sound when it's in an unstressed syllable. It sounds like a quick, lazy 'uh'.

Tip

Schwa is lazy — any vowel can say 'uh' when it's not stressed!

Examples

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