Sounds Of Letters

1) What is Phonics?

The secret code of reading and speaking.

Phonics is the relationship between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. While there are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, there are 44 unique sounds (called phonemes)!

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The Golden Rule
Letters don’t just have names (like “A, B, C”); they have jobs (the sounds they make). Mastering these sounds is the key to fluent reading.

2) The Vowels: Short vs. Long

The glue that holds words together (A, E, I, O, U).

Every single syllable in English must have a vowel. Vowels are special because they can make a short sound or a long sound.

Short Vowels

Quick sounds, usually found in middle of small words.

  • A: /a/ as in Apple, Cat
  • E: /e/ as in Elephant, Bed
  • I: /i/ as in Igloo, Pig
  • O: /o/ as in Octopus, Dog
  • U: /u/ as in Umbrella, Sun
Long Vowels

The vowel “says its own name”.

  • A: /ay/ as in Ape, Cake
  • E: /ee/ as in Eagle, Tree
  • I: /eye/ as in Ice, Kite
  • O: /oh/ as in Ocean, Bone
  • U: /you/ as in Unicorn, Cube

3) Tricky Consonants: C & G

Letters with a split personality.

Most consonants (like B, M, S, T) make one reliable sound. However, C and G change their sounds depending on the vowel that comes right after them.

LetterThe Hard Sound (Default)The Soft Sound (Before E, I, Y)
CSounds like /K/
Cat, Cup, Cold		Sounds like /S/
City, Cent, Fancy
GSounds like /G/
Goat, Gum, Game		Sounds like /J/
Giraffe, Gem, Gym

4) Consonant Digraphs

Two letters, one brand new sound.

When certain consonants team up, they drop their individual sounds and create one completely new sound together. These are called digraphs.

The “H” Brothers
  • CH: /ch/ as in Chair, Much
  • SH: /sh/ as in Ship, Wish
  • TH: /th/ as in Thumb (quiet), That (voiced)
  • WH: /w/ as in Whale, White
  • PH: /f/ as in Phone, Dolphin
Digraphs vs. Blends

Don’t confuse digraphs with Blends! In a blend (like blue or stop), you can still hear both individual letters quickly sliding together.

5) The Magic “E” (Silent E)

The bossiest letter in the alphabet.

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The Rule
When an “E” sits at the end of a short word, it makes no sound. Instead, it jumps over the consonant to make the first vowel say its long name!
Short Vowel WordAdd Magic “E”The Change
Cap (/a/ short)Cape (/ay/ long)The ‘a’ says its name.
Pin (/i/ short)Pine (/eye/ long)The ‘i’ says its name.
Hop (/o/ short)Hope (/oh/ long)The ‘o’ says its name.
Cub (/u/ short)Cube (/you/ long)The ‘u’ says its name.

6) Vowel Teams

When two vowels go walking.

Sometimes two vowels sit next to each other. The old saying goes: “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” This means the first vowel says its long name, and the second is quiet.

Common Teams
  • AI / AY: Rain, Play (Makes the /A/ sound)
  • EE / EA: See, Meat (Makes the /E/ sound)
  • OA / OE: Boat, Toe (Makes the /O/ sound)
Rule Breakers (Diphthongs)

These pairs slide together to make a whining or howling sound:

  • OI / OY: Boil, Toy
  • OU / OW: Cloud, Cow
  • AU / AW: Haunt, Claw