The Complete Phonics Sounds Chart
English has 26 letters but 44 distinct sounds (phonemes). That mismatch is exactly why phonics matters and why so many children struggle with reading without it.
This is the complete phonics sounds list, organised the way teachers actually teach it, with example words for each. Use it as a reference, a practice tool, or a teaching guide.
New to phonics? Start with our beginner's guide to what phonics is and how it works before using this chart.
How to Use This Chart
For each sound, you will see:
- The phoneme (the sound itself, written between forward slashes like /b/)
- The graphemes (the letter or letters that make that sound)
- Example words at three difficulty levels
When teaching at home, point to the letter, say the sound (not the letter name), then say the example word slowly so your child hears the sound inside the word. See our step-by-step home phonics guide for the exact teaching method.
Watch this short overview of how phonics sounds work before reading the chart below:
Single Consonant Sounds (24 sounds)
These are the foundation. Most children learn these between ages 3 and 5. Note that some letters share sounds (c can sound like /k/ or /s/), and one letter often makes more than one sound.
| Phoneme | Letter(s) | Easy Word | Medium Word | Harder Word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /b/ | b | bat | bubble | bicycle |
| /k/ | c, k, ck | cat, kid, sock | cookie, kettle | calculator |
| /d/ | d | dog | daddy | doctor |
| /f/ | f, ph | fan, phone | flower | photograph |
| /g/ | g | go | grape | gorilla |
| /h/ | h | hat | hippo | helicopter |
| /j/ | j, g (soft) | jam, gem | jacket, giant | January, ginger |
| /l/ | l | lip | lion | lemonade |
| /m/ | m | mat | mango | mountain |
| /n/ | n | nut | nest | November |
| /p/ | p | pig | puddle | pumpkin |
| /r/ | r | rat | rabbit | rainbow |
| /s/ | s, c (soft) | sun, city | snake, circle | sunshine, celery |
| /t/ | t | top | turtle | telephone |
| /v/ | v | van | violin | volcano |
| /w/ | w | wig | window | watermelon |
| /y/ | y | yes | yellow | yoghurt |
| /z/ | z, s | zip, has | zebra, eyes | zigzag |
Tricky Indian-Accent Sounds
Indian children commonly mix up four pairs of consonants. Drill these specifically:
- /v/ vs /w/ - very vs well, vine vs wine, vest vs west
- /f/ vs /p/ - fish vs pig, fan vs pan
- /s/ vs /sh/ - sit vs ship, sea vs she
- /t/ vs /th/ - tin vs thin, tank vs thank
If your child struggles with these, our 5 fun tongue twisters for clear pronunciation target exactly these sounds.
Hear each consonant sound pronounced correctly:
Short Vowel Sounds (5 sounds)
Short vowels are the first vowel sounds children learn. They appear in the simplest CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant), which is where most reading begins.
| Phoneme | Letter | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| /a/ (short) | a | cat, hat, bat, sand, apple |
| /e/ (short) | e | bed, pen, red, jet, elephant |
| /i/ (short) | i | sit, pin, fish, big, igloo |
| /o/ (short) | o | hot, dog, log, pop, octopus |
| /u/ (short) | u | sun, bug, cup, jump, umbrella |
CVC Practice Words
Once your child knows the short vowels and basic consonants, they can read CVC words. Practice these:
Short a: cat, mat, hat, sat, bag, tap, sand, lamp Short e: bed, leg, ten, men, net, web, jet, get Short i: sit, pig, win, hit, lip, kid, tin, fish Short o: hot, pot, dog, log, top, mop, box, frog Short u: sun, run, bus, cup, jug, mud, fun, hug
This is the heart of beginner reading. See more practice in our top 10 phonics activities for 3-6 year olds.
Long Vowel Sounds (5 sounds)
Long vowels "say their name." They appear in many common patterns. This is where phonics gets more complex - the same long vowel sound can be spelled multiple ways.
| Phoneme | Common Spellings | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| /ay/ (long a) | a_e, ai, ay, eigh | cake, rain, day, eight |
| /ee/ (long e) | ee, ea, e_e, y | see, eat, theme, happy |
| /eye/ (long i) | i_e, igh, y, ie | bike, light, fly, pie |
| /oh/ (long o) | o_e, oa, ow, oe | bone, boat, snow, toe |
| /you/ (long u) | u_e, ue, ew, oo | cube, blue, new, food |
The Silent E Pattern
The "magic e" or "silent e" turns short vowels into long vowels. This is one of the most useful patterns in English.
- cap becomes cape (short a → long a)
- bit becomes bite (short i → long i)
- hop becomes hope (short o → long o)
- cub becomes cube (short u → long u)
- pet becomes Pete (short e → long e)
Children typically learn this pattern between ages 5 and 6.
Consonant Digraphs (7 sounds)
Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. They are essential for reading because they appear in thousands of common words.
| Phoneme | Letters | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| /sh/ | sh | ship, shop, fish, brush, dish |
| /ch/ | ch | chip, chat, much, lunch, chair |
| /th/ (unvoiced) | th | thin, think, three, bath, math |
| /th/ (voiced) | th | this, that, mother, brother, breathe |
| /ng/ | ng | sing, long, ring, hang, finger |
| /wh/ | wh | when, where, what, white, while |
| /ck/ | ck | back, duck, sock, kick, lock |
The Two /th/ Sounds
This is a sound most Indian children get wrong. There are actually two /th/ sounds in English:
- Unvoiced /th/ - air flows through, no vocal cord vibration. Words: think, three, math, bath
- Voiced /th/ - vocal cords vibrate. Words: this, that, mother, brother
Practice: put your hand on your throat. Say "thin." No vibration. Now say "this." You feel vibration. Both are /th/, but they need slightly different mouth positions.
Vowel Digraphs (Common Vowel Teams)
Two vowels together that make one sound. Children typically learn these between ages 5 and 7.
| Letters | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| ai | /ay/ | rain, sail, paint, train |
| ay | /ay/ | day, play, way, stay |
| ea | /ee/ or /e/ | sea, eat, read / bread, head |
| ee | /ee/ | see, bee, tree, sheep |
| oa | /oh/ | boat, coat, road, soap |
| ow | /oh/ or /ou/ | snow, low / cow, how |
| oo | /oo/ short or long | book, foot / food, moon |
| oi | /oy/ | oil, coin, point, voice |
| oy | /oy/ | toy, boy, joy, enjoy |
| ou | /ou/ | out, house, cloud, sound |
| ew | /oo/ | new, few, blew, drew |
Consonant Blends (Two or Three Consonants, Each Heard)
Unlike digraphs (where two letters make ONE sound), blends are two or three consonants where you can hear each individual sound. Children learn these around ages 5-6.
L-Blends
- bl - blue, black, blanket
- cl - clap, clean, clock
- fl - flag, fly, flower
- gl - glass, glue, globe
- pl - play, plant, plate
- sl - sleep, slow, slide
R-Blends
- br - brown, bread, brick
- cr - crab, cry, crown
- dr - drum, drink, dragon
- fr - frog, free, friend
- gr - green, grape, grow
- pr - pray, press, prince
- tr - tree, train, truck
S-Blends
- sc - scarf, scoop, scare
- sk - skip, sky, ski
- sl - slip, slow, slope
- sm - smile, small, smoke
- sn - snow, snake, snap
- sp - spin, spot, spider
- st - stop, star, stick
- sw - swim, swing, sweet
Three-Letter Blends
- scr - scream, scratch, scribble
- spr - spring, spray, sprint
- str - street, strong, string
- thr - three, throw, throat
R-Controlled Vowels (Bossy R)
When R follows a vowel, it changes the vowel sound. Children learn these around ages 6-7.
| Letters | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| ar | /ar/ | car, star, park, farm |
| er | /er/ | her, term, fern, sister |
| ir | /er/ | bird, girl, first, dirt |
| or | /or/ | for, born, corn, horse |
| ur | /er/ | turn, hurt, curl, surf |
Note that er, ir, and ur all make the same sound. Spelling these correctly takes practice.
Trigraphs (Three Letters, One Sound)
These are advanced phonics patterns. Most children learn them between ages 6 and 8.
| Letters | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| igh | /eye/ | high, light, night, sight |
| dge | /j/ | bridge, judge, badge, edge |
| tch | /ch/ | catch, watch, match, kitchen |
| air | /air/ | hair, chair, fair, stair |
| ear | /ear/ | hear, near, year, fear |
| ure | /yoor/ | sure, pure, cure, mature |
Soft and Hard C and G
The letters C and G each make two different sounds depending on what follows them.
Hard C (/k/): before a, o, u, or consonants
- cat, cot, cup, clap, cream
Soft C (/s/): before e, i, or y
- city, cent, cycle, ice, place
Hard G (/g/): before a, o, u, or consonants
- gap, got, gum, grass, glow
Soft G (/j/): before e, i, or y
- gem, giant, gym, page, large
Silent Letters
English has many silent letters - letters that appear in spelling but are not pronounced. Common patterns:
- silent k: know, knee, knife, knock, knight
- silent w: write, wrong, wrap, wrist
- silent b: lamb, comb, thumb, climb
- silent h: hour, honest, ghost
- silent g: sign, design, gnome
- silent l: half, calm, walk, talk
These are typically taught as patterns rather than rules. Children pick them up through reading practice.
Sight Words That Break the Rules
Some common words do not follow regular phonics rules. They have to be memorised. These are called "sight words" or "tricky words."
Common sight words children should know by age 6:
- the, a, an, is, of, to, you, he, she, we, me
- was, said, was, have, are, were, what, where, when
- one, two, do, does, who, here, there, come, some, where
Even with sight words, phonics still helps. A child with strong phonics skills makes far fewer guessing errors than one without.
How to Use This Chart for Teaching
This list is comprehensive, but you do not teach all 44 sounds at once. The typical sequence is:
- First 6 sounds: s, a, t, p, i, n (you can build many words just with these)
- Next group: m, d, g, o, c, k, ck
- Then: e, u, r, h, b, f, l
- Final consonants: j, v, w, x, y, z, qu
- Consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th, ng, wh
- Long vowels with silent e: a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e, e_e
- Vowel teams: ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow, oo
- R-controlled vowels: ar, er, ir, or, ur
- Trigraphs and complex patterns
Trying to introduce them in alphabetical order (a, b, c, d) is one of the most common phonics mistakes parents make. The sequence above is what trained phonics teachers use.
Watch this in-depth phonics teaching guide for a full walkthrough of how to teach each sound group:
A Note on Free Reference Charts
You can print this list and stick it on your fridge or your child's study table. The visual reminder helps you stay consistent during daily practice.
Going Beyond the List
A list of sounds is a reference, not a curriculum. To actually teach your child to read, you need:
- A systematic order (not alphabetical)
- Daily 10-15 minute practice
- Blending and segmenting exercises
- Real books matched to their current level
- Patience to let mastery build over months, not days
For the structured approach, see our complete step-by-step guide to teaching phonics at home.
When to Get Expert Help
Some children pick up phonics easily at home. Others benefit significantly from a trained teacher who can spot patterns parents miss. Consider a structured phonics class if:
- Your child is over 5 and struggles with blending simple words
- They mix up letter sounds frequently despite practice
- They have lost interest in reading after early attempts
- You feel unsure about the right pace or sequence
At Nino, our phonics program for ages 3-6 uses systematic synthetic phonics in small groups of 6 students. Live, interactive classes - not pre-recorded videos.
Book a free demo class and watch how the right method clicks for your child.