sort through
InseparableThe verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: sort THROUGH. Saying “SORT through” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Do not release the /t/. Before the consonant of “through” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “sort through”. Watch the TH in “through” — tongue tip between the teeth, voiceless. Swapping it for /t/ or /s/ is the usual slip.
What it means
To examine a pile of things one by one.
- “She sorted through a box of old letters.”
- “It took a week to sort through the applications.”
Similar: go through, sift