Letter sounds

Each letter has a name and a sound. To read and spell, we use the sounds: the letter ⟦s⟧ makes the sound you hear at the start of ⟦sun⟧, and ⟦m⟧ makes the sound at the start of ⟦map⟧. Children usually learn ⟦s a t p i n⟧ first, because these make many short words.

Key facts

• A letter's sound is not its name: the letter ⟦b⟧ is called ⟦bee⟧, but its sound is the short one at the start of ⟦bat⟧.
• Say sounds short and clean: ⟦mmm⟧ for ⟦m⟧, not ⟦muh⟧. This makes blending easier.
• The vowels ⟦a e i o u⟧ have short sounds: ⟦a⟧ as in ⟦ant⟧, ⟦e⟧ as in ⟦egg⟧, ⟦i⟧ as in ⟦ink⟧, ⟦o⟧ as in ⟦on⟧, ⟦u⟧ as in ⟦up⟧.
• ⟦c⟧ and ⟦k⟧ usually make the same sound: ⟦cat⟧, ⟦kit⟧.
• Listen for the first, middle and last sound of a short word: ⟦dog⟧ starts with ⟦d⟧, has ⟦o⟧ in the middle and ends with ⟦g⟧.

Worked examples