Letters and Sounds
Let's learn the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes!
Meet the Alphabet!
There are 26 letters in the alphabet. Each letter has a name and a sound. Let's meet them all!
Vowels and Consonants
Letters come in two groups: vowels and consonants.
Vowels
These letters make open sounds. Your mouth stays open!
There are only 5 vowels!
Consonants
All the other letters are consonants. Your mouth closes to make these sounds!
There are 21 consonants!
Letter Sounds (Phonemes)
Every letter makes a sound. When we say the sound a letter makes, we call it a phoneme. Let's practise some sounds!
says "sss"
like in sun ☀️, sock, sit
says "mmm"
like in mum, mat, moon 🌕
says "t"
like in top, ten, tiger 🐪
says "a"
like in ant, apple 🍎, at
says "p"
like in pig, pen, pan
says "nnn"
like in net, nap, nose
Top Tip!
Say the sound out loud! Put your hand on your throat and feel the sound. Try saying "sss" and then "mmm" — can you feel the difference?
Key Vocabulary
Alphabet
All 26 letters from A to Z.
Vowel
The letters A, E, I, O, U. They make open sounds.
Consonant
All the other letters that are not vowels.
Phoneme
The sound a letter makes when you say it.
Worked Examples
Let's look at how letters make up words!
Example 1: Sounding out "cat"
"k"
"a"
"t"
🐱
Sound out each letter: "k" + "a" + "t" = cat! The vowel a is in the middle.
Example 2: Sounding out "dog"
"d"
"o"
"g"
🐶
Sound out each letter: "d" + "o" + "g" = dog! The vowel o is in the middle.
Knowledge Check
Let's see what you have learned! Pick the right answer.
Question 1
Which letter does 🍎 Apple start with?
Question 2
Which of these is a vowel?
Question 3
What sound does the letter S make?
Question 4
Which picture starts with the letter D?
Question 5
How many vowels are there in the alphabet?
What We Learned Today!
- ⭐ The alphabet has 26 letters from A to Z.
- ⭐ There are 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U.
- ⭐ All the other letters are called consonants.
- ⭐ Every letter makes a sound (phoneme).
- ⭐ We can sound out words by saying each letter sound.