Chapter 3 — Letter Sounds and Phonics
Letters are the symbols we use to write words, and many letters represent sounds that we hear when we speak. Learning these sounds helps us connect spoken language with written words.
In this chapter, you will learn how to listen for the sounds made by letters, identify beginning and ending sounds, recognise common short vowel sounds, and match letters with the sounds they represent.
Why This Chapter Matters
Learning letter sounds is an important step towards reading and spelling. When you understand the sounds in words, you can begin to read simple words by putting their sounds together.
For example, the letter m commonly represents the sound heard at the beginning of the word man.
Listening carefully to sounds also helps you notice how words are different from one another.
What You Will Learn
- What a letter sound is.
- How to listen for the beginning sound in a word.
- How to listen for the ending sound in a word.
- What short vowel sounds are.
- How common consonant sounds are heard in simple words.
- How to match letters with their common sounds.
- How to listen carefully for sounds in spoken words.
- How sounds help us read and spell simple words.
Before You Begin
Before starting this chapter, you should be able to recognise and name the English alphabet letters from A to Z.
You should also be comfortable listening to and repeating simple spoken words. You do not need to know every English sound perfectly. The lessons will help you learn them step by step.
Understanding the Learning Sequence
The lessons begin with the basic idea of letter sounds. You will then learn to hear sounds at the beginning and end of words before moving to short vowels and common consonant sounds. Finally, you will practise connecting written letters with the sounds you hear.
This sequence moves from understanding individual sounds to using those sounds while listening to and reading simple words.
Lessons in This Chapter
Complete the lessons in the order shown below.
Important Ideas
- Letters can represent sounds in spoken words.
- Words are made from sounds that we can hear.
- The beginning sound comes at the start of a word.
- The ending sound comes at the end of a word.
- Vowels include a, e, i, o and u.
- Short vowels are common in many simple English words.
- Consonants are letters other than the vowels.
- Listening carefully helps us identify sounds in words.
- Matching sounds with letters helps us read and spell.
Chapter Practice
- What do we hear when a letter is spoken in a word?
- What is the beginning sound in the word sun?
- What is the ending sound in the word cat?
- Which vowel is in the word map?
- Which vowel is in the word bed?
- Which letter represents the beginning sound in fish?
- What is the ending sound in dog?
- Which word begins with the sound /m/: sun or man?
- Which word ends with the sound /t/: cat or dog?
- Why is careful listening useful when learning to read?
Quick Revision
Letters can represent sounds in spoken words. We can listen for the beginning and ending sounds of words and notice the vowel sounds in simple words.
By connecting letters with the sounds they represent, we can begin to read and spell simple words more confidently.
Continue Learning
Start with Lesson 1 — What Are Letter Sounds? and complete the lessons in sequence. Each lesson builds on the sound skills learned in the previous lesson.