yawn
verbTo open your mouth very wide and breathe in deeply, usually when you are tired or bored.
nounThe act of opening your mouth wide and breathing in deeply when tired or bored.
verbTo open wide like a mouth.
Phonics breakdown
Phonics Rule: Letter Y (Consonant)
At the start of a word or syllable, Y makes the /j/ sound, like in 'yes', 'yet', and 'yell'.
Y at the beginning of a word acts as a consonant and makes the /j/ sound. In the middle or end of a word, Y acts as a vowel (gym, happy, my). Context determines which role Y plays.
Tip
Y at the start says /j/ — yes, you got it!
Examples
Phonics Rule: AW Vowel Team
AW makes the /ɔː/ sound, like in 'saw' and 'draw'.
The vowel team AW makes the /ɔː/ sound. It appears at the end of words or before L and N. Examples: saw, draw, law, claw, yawn, dawn.
Tip
AW says aw — saw, draw, claw!
Examples
Phonics Rule: Letter 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
What is SnapPhonics?
A phonics reference for teachers, parents and learners. Every English word, broken into the sounds that make it — with audio, syllables, and the rule behind each spelling.
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