phonetically

Everyday

1. In a way that matches the sounds of speech: "Spell it phonetically" means write it the way it sounds. tree →
2. To do with the sounds of words, not their meaning. tree →

In the lessons

In phonics and spelling lessons, young children often spell words phonetically ("bcoz" for "because"); teachers then show the correct spelling. Reading a word phonetically means sounding it out. Some words (yacht, colonel) cannot be read phonetically.

Examples

• She spelled "because" phonetically as "bcoz". tree →
• Sound the word out phonetically: c-a-t. tree →
• "Colonel" is not spelled phonetically at all. tree →
• Young children write phonetically at first. tree →
• Read the nonsense words phonetically. tree →
• Finnish is written almost exactly phonetically. tree →

Note

Adverb from phonetic. Spelling: phonetic + ally (not "phoneticly"). Spelling phonetically in tests is usually marked wrong if the real spelling is different.