whistle
verbTo make a high-pitched sound by pushing air through your lips.
nounA small tube you blow into to make a loud, high sound.
nounA high-pitched sound like the one made by whistling.
verbTo signal or call someone by making a whistling sound.
verbTo move fast enough through the air to make a high sound.
Syllables
2 syllables
Letters
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: WH Digraph
WH at the start of a word usually sounds like /w/, like in 'when' and 'what'.
In most American English, 'wh' sounds the same as 'w'. It appears at the beginning of question words (who, what, when, where, why) and other common words.
Tip
WH asks questions — when, what, where, why!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Short I
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 /ɪ/. This is one of the trickiest short vowels because it sounds similar to short E.
Tip
I says /ɪ/ like an itch you can't miss.
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter S
The letter S usually makes the /s/ sound, like in 'sun', 'sit', and 'sock'. Air hisses through a small gap.
S is a voiceless alveolar fricative when it makes the /s/ sound. At the end of many words it can also make a /z/ sound (as in 'dogs' or 'has'). At the start of a word it is always /s/.
Tip
S hisses like a snake — sssssun!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Silent T
Sometimes the T is silent — you don't say it, like in 'listen', 'castle', and 'often'.
In some words the T is silent. You see it, but you don't say it. This happens most in words ending -stle and -sten (castle, whistle, listen, fasten) and in 'often' and 'Christmas'.
Tip
Shh — the T is silent when you listen in the castle!
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: Schwa
In unstressed syllables, vowels often make a lazy 'uh' sound called schwa, like the A in 'about'.
Schwa /ə/ 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
What is SnapPhonics?
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