| Steps: | Examples: |
|---|---|
| Consonant blends are two consonants that blend together, but keep some of their original sounds. | Beginning blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw sch, scr, spl, spr, sq, str dw, tw End blends: ll, lm, ld, lp nd, ng, no, nt rt, st, ft, lt ss, mp |
| Long vowel sounds are generally taught next. | "a" as in aim "e" as in eaves "i" as in idea "o" as in open "u" as in use "y" as in thyme |
| Consonant digraphs are taught at a later stage. They are a pair of letters that form a new sound, unlike either of the original sounds the letters made. | ch, gh, ph, sh, shr, thr, sch, th, wh, ck note that "th" can have two sounds: the, thin note that "gh" has three sounds:
|
| Vowel digraphs are also taught later. They are two vowels that take on the sound of the first vowel. | "ai" as in main "ea" as in beat "oa" as in boat |
| Diphthongs are two vowels wherein the first rolls into the second vowel sound | "oi" as in boil "oy" as in boy "au" as in caught |
| Vowels preceded by an r, l or w. The vowels have a slightly different sound because they are followed by these consonants. | far, stir, cold, belt, saw, sew |
The following chart explains the sound/letter relationship with consonants. Consonants are the most consistent sounds in English. That is why they are usually taught first. Vowel sounds are the least consistent because there are so many different spellings for each vowel sound.