water
PronouncedWAW-ter
nounA clear liquid that falls as rain and fills rivers, lakes and seas.
verbTo pour liquid onto plants so they can drink and grow.
verbTo give animals liquid to drink.
nounA large area of this liquid, like a lake or sea.
verbTo make something thinner by adding liquid to it.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Related words (same phonics pattern)
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter W
Sound“w”·/w/
The letter W makes the /w/ sound, like in 'win', 'wet', and 'web'. The lips round into an O shape.
W is a voiced bilabial approximant — the lips round tightly then open as voice flows. W is sometimes silent (write, wrong) and can act as a vowel in some combinations (aw, ew, ow).
Tip
W rounds your lips — make an O then say /w/!
Examples
Phonics Rule: W changes A to “ah”
Sound“ah”·/ɑ/
After W, a single A often says “ah” (like 'o' in 'hot') instead of short “a” — like in 'want' and 'wash'.
W changes the sound of A: instead of short “a” (cat), A after W says “ah”: want, wash, watch, swan, squad, squat.
Tip
W changes A — want, wash, watch!
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
Phonics Rule: R-Controlled ER
Sound“er”·/ɜːr/
When R comes after E, it makes the “er” sound, like in 'her' and 'fern'.
ER makes the same sound as IR and UR — they all say “er”. ER is the most common spelling of this sound, especially at the end of words.
Tip
ER, IR, and UR all sound the same — Bossy R wins again!
Examples
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