Letters and Sounds: Foundation Study Guide
Letters are a code for sounds. Learning the code unlocks reading and writing.
English words are made of about 44 sounds, called phonemes, which are written using 26 letters and groups of letters. Foundation children start by learning common letter sounds: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d and so on. A letter sound is a short sound, so say 'mmm' for m and not 'muh'.
The next step is blending: pushing the sounds together to read a word (s-a-t → sat) and segmenting: breaking a spoken word into sounds to spell it (sat → s-a-t).
Starting letters
Many schools teach letters in a planned order so that children can make words quickly. After s, a, t, p, i and n, children can read sat, pin, tap, nap and pat. Add letters gradually and review often.
| Week | Letters | Words you can read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s, a, t | sat, at, as |
| 2 | p, i, n | pin, tip, nap |
| 3 | m, d, g, o | mop, dog, dig |
| 4 | c, k, e, u, r | cup, red, kick |
Blending to read
c – a – t
/c/ /a/ /t/
caaat → cat
Is it a real word?
Special sound pairs
Some sounds use two letters: sh (ship), ch (chip), th (thin) and ck (duck). These are called digraphs. They are taught after single letter sounds. Tricky words like the, I and was do not follow regular rules and are learned by sight.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Example: Read 'map'. m-a-p → map. Example: Spell 'hop'. h-o-p: three sounds, three letters. Common mistakes: adding an extra 'uh' to consonant sounds (saying 'buh' instead of /b/), guessing a word from the picture and mixing up letters with similar shapes such as b and d, p and q. Use a gentle hand-over-hand tracing for tricky letters.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. pig. 2. Three: /sh/ /i/ /p/. 'Sh' is one sound written with two letters. 3. For example, sock, sand, sit.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Letters represent sounds; sounds are blended to read.
- Say pure sounds without adding 'uh'.
- Two-letter sounds (digraphs) come after single letter sounds.
- Some words are learned by sight.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Blend these sounds into a word: /p/ /i/ /g/.
- How many sounds are in the word 'ship'?
- Name two words starting with the same sound as 'sun'.
Print lined paper for letter practice →