phonics
Americannoun
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a method of teaching reading and spelling based upon the phonetic interpretation of ordinary spelling.
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Obsolete. phonetics.
noun
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an obsolete name for acoustics
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a method of teaching people to read by training them to associate letters with their phonetic values
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of phonics
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Explanation
Phonics is the science of sound. It’s also a way of teaching reading by focusing on how letters and groups of letters of the alphabet look and sound. Phonics comes from the Greek word phone for "sound." Phone is a familiar word as the thing you talk to people on, but it also shows up in other sound-related words like phonology (the scientific study of sounds in languages) and phonograph (an old device for playing music). Phonics is a way of teaching beginning readers to match letters and sounds. By associating letters with sounds, phonics helps people hear and say the words they’re seeing on the page.
Vocabulary lists containing phonics
Common Senses: Phon ("Sound")
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phon
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2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her priorities have included early education expansion, school greening improvements, literacy through phonics training, protecting immigrant students and focusing more budget resources on the highest-need schools.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Assembly Bill 2222, proposed in 2024, would have mandated the use of phonics in reading instruction.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Teachers’ salaries are set by a fixed schedule—no bonuses for those who learn phonics, no penalties for those who don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Simply joining in with his classmates' phonics practice was something his mum Claire says she "didn't dare to dream could happen".
From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025
There should be at least two ten-minute lessons in phonics each day.
From How to Teach Phonics by Williams, Lida M.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
