Letter sounds · Year 1
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
Example 1
Which word starts with the sound s: map, sun or top?
Answer: sun
Example 2
What is the middle sound in pig?
Answer: i
Example 3
Spell the word hen.
Answer: hen