Phonics: First Sounds
Listen to the first letter sounds. A says "ah," B says "buh," C says "kuh."
1Vowel Sounds
The letters A, E, I, O, U are vowels. They make special sounds. A says "ah" like in apple. E says "eh" like in elephant. I says "ih" like in igloo.
O says "oh" like in orange. U says "uh" like in umbrella. Vowels are the heart of every word — every word has at least one vowel!
2Consonant Sounds
The other letters are consonants. B says "buh" like in ball. C says "kuh" like in cat. D says "duh" like in dog. F says "ff" like in fish.
Some consonants are tricky. G can say "guh" like in goat or "juh" like in giraffe. C can say "kuh" like in cat or "ss" like in city. You will learn these as you read more.
3Putting Sounds Together
When you put sounds together, you make words! "C" + "A" + "T" = CAT. "B" + "A" + "T" = BAT. Change one sound and you make a new word.
Practice saying each sound slowly, then blending them together. This is called "sounding out" a word. It is the key to reading!
★Explore
Tap any picture to hear it spoken aloud.
Quick check
Which letter says "buh"?