Phonics and reading
What is phonics? How children learn to read in English
Phonics is a way of teaching children to read by linking the sounds of spoken English to the letters that write them. A child learns that /s/ is written s, /a/ is written a and /t/ is written t, then blends those sounds together to read sat. Once children can do this, they can work out words they have never seen before, instead of having to remember every word by its shape.
- By CurioKids team
- Published
- Updated
- 8 min read
Key takeaways
- Phonics teaches children to hear the separate sounds in words and match each sound to the letter or letters that write it.
- Blending sounds together is how children read a word; segmenting, or splitting a word into its sounds, is how they spell it.
- English has more sounds than letters, so children learn letter groups such as sh, ai and igh as well as single letters.
- Tricky words such as the, said and was don't follow the usual patterns, so children learn them a few at a time.
- Short, regular and playful practice suits young children better than long sessions.
On this page
What is phonics, in simple terms?
Phonics is teaching children the code of written English: which sounds go with which letters. Spoken words are made of small units of sound called phonemes. Written words use letters, on their own or in groups, to show those sounds. The letter or letters that write one sound are called a grapheme: the t in top, the sh in ship and the igh in night are each one grapheme.
When children know the code, reading stops being a memory test. Instead of trying to recognise the shape of every word, they look at a new word, say its sounds and hear the word they make. The same knowledge works in reverse for spelling: say the word, hear its sounds and write them down.
How do children learn to read with phonics?
Most phonics teaching follows the same path: hear the sounds, learn the letters, blend to read and segment to spell. Each step builds on the one before, and children often work on several at once.
Step 1: how do children learn to hear the sounds in words?
Before letters come into it, children practise listening. Can they hear that sun and sock start with the same sound? Can they clap the beats in a word, or spot two words that rhyme? This listening skill is called phonological awareness, and it is the ground that phonics is built on.
Step 2: how do children match sounds to letters?
Next, children learn one sound for each letter, usually starting with a handful that make lots of simple words, such as s, a, t, p, i and n. They say the sound rather than the letter name: /s/ rather than “ess”. Letter names come in time, but sounds are what children need to start reading.
Step 3: how does blending help children read?
Blending means saying the sounds in order and pushing them together until they become a word: /s/ /a/ /t/, sat. Blending can feel tricky at first. It helps to keep sounds short and crisp, saying /m/ rather than “muh”, so they join up smoothly.
Step 4: how does segmenting help children spell?
Segmenting is blending in reverse. Children say a word, split it into its sounds and write a letter or letter group for each one. Reading and spelling practice strengthen each other, so good phonics teaching includes both.
Why does English need so many letter patterns?
Because English has more sounds than letters. There are 26 letters but around 44 sounds (the exact number depends on accent), so some sounds have to be written with two or more letters. Children meet these patterns in stages:
- Word families: groups of words that share an ending, such as cat, hat and mat, which help children read by analogy.
- Digraphs: two letters that make one sound, such as sh, ch, th and ck.
- Vowel teams: vowel sounds written with two or more letters, such as ai in rain, ee in tree and oa in boat.
- Blends: two or three consonants side by side where you still hear each sound, such as st in stop or spl in splash.
- Magic e: the e at the end of a word that changes the vowel sound before it, as in cap and cape, or kit and kite.
Some sounds can be written in more than one way (ee in tree, ea in sea), and some spellings can make more than one sound. Children learn the most common patterns first and add the alternatives as they read more.
What are tricky words?
Tricky words are common words that can't be fully sounded out with the phonics a child knows so far, such as the, said, was, you and they. Because they appear in almost every sentence, children learn them a few at a time. A useful approach is to sound out the parts that do follow the rules and spot the tricky part: in said, the ai makes a short “e” sound. With practice, children recognise these words at a glance.
At what age should children start phonics?
There's no single right age. Many children enjoy simple sound games from around age 4, and more structured phonics follows when they're ready. A child is usually ready when they like listening to stories, can join in with rhymes and can sit and focus on a short activity for a few minutes.
Older children can benefit from phonics too. If a 7- or 8-year-old guesses at words from the first letter or the pictures, or finds spelling hard, going back to the sounds often helps to fill the gaps.
What does a good phonics lesson look like?
A good phonics lesson for a young child is short, lively and follows a clear routine, so the child knows what's coming. A typical session might include:
- A quick review of sounds the child already knows.
- One new sound or letter pattern, with an action, picture or word to anchor it.
- Blending practice: reading real words, and sometimes silly made-up ones, with the new sound.
- Segmenting practice: building or writing words.
- Reading a short phrase or sentence that uses the new pattern.
- A game to finish, so the child leaves wanting more.
Repetition matters. Children need to meet a sound many times, in different words and games, before it becomes automatic, which is why regular short practice helps.
How can parents support phonics at home?
You don't need to be a teacher to help. A few minutes of playful practice on most days is plenty. Try these ideas:
- Use letter sounds, not letter names, when you talk about words together.
- Play I spy with sounds: “I spy something beginning with /m/.”
- Read aloud every day, and let your child sound out a simple word or two on the page.
- Point out words on signs, packets and menus, and blend them together.
- Praise effort (“you tried every sound!”) as well as right answers.
- Stop while it's still fun.
For ready-made ideas, see our guide to phonics games at home, ten five-minute games for ages 4 to 7.
How does CurioKids teach phonics?
Most children start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. Phonics Starter is 52 lessons in 10 units. Lessons are live and 1-to-1, 25 minutes each, with a real teacher in the CurioKids online classroom. The units are:
- Unit 0: Welcome
- Unit 1: Letter sounds
- Unit 2: Word families
- Unit 3: Digraphs
- Unit 4: Vowel teams
- Unit 5: Blends
- Unit 6: Magic e
- Unit 7: Tricky words
- Unit 8: Sentences and fluency
- Unit 9: Graduation
After Phonics Starter, children move on to CEFR-based levels. See the full curriculum, or book a free first lesson from our Singapore or Malaysia page.
Frequently asked questions
Is phonics the same as learning the alphabet?
No. Learning the alphabet usually means learning letter names and their order. Phonics teaches the sounds that letters make and how to blend those sounds into words. Both are useful, but letter sounds are what children need to start reading.
How long does it take a child to learn phonics?
It varies from child to child. Children usually learn the basic letter sounds first and then keep adding letter patterns as their reading grows, so phonics carries on alongside reading rather than ending on a fixed date. Short, frequent practice helps more than occasional long sessions.
Should my child learn capital letters or lowercase letters first?
Most of the words children read are in lowercase, so many teachers start with lowercase letters and bring in capitals for names and the start of sentences. Follow your child's school or teacher so your child sees one consistent approach.
My child speaks another language at home. Can they still learn English phonics?
Yes. Children who speak more than one language learn English phonics in the same way: by hearing sounds, matching them to letters and blending. Some English sounds may be new to them, so extra listening practice with those sounds helps. Keep using your home language too; there's no need to stop.