Here is a quick test. Say the sound the letter “b” makes. Did you say “buh”? Almost everyone does. And that small extra “uh” is one of the main reasons children find it hard to blend sounds into words.

Getting phonics sounds A to Z right is less about memorising a chart and more about saying each sound cleanly. This guide goes through the alphabet in groups, with the slips parents most often make.

Why the way you say a sound matters so much

When a child blends, they join sounds together. If each sound carries an extra “uh,” the word “bat” turns into “buh-a-tuh,” which sounds nothing like “bat.” The child can follow every step correctly and still not hear the word.

Teachers call clean sounds “pure sounds.” Pure sounds phonics just means saying the sound with as little extra as possible. It feels odd at first, especially for adults who learned the alphabet differently, but it makes blending far easier for children.

The stretchy sounds you can hold

Some letter sounds can be held for as long as you have breath. These are the easiest to say cleanly and are great for starting.

• f as in fan, a soft “fff”
• l as in leg, “lll”
• m as in mat, “mmm” with lips closed
• n as in net, “nnn”
• r as in rat, “rrr,” without rolling it like a Hindi “र” too strongly
• s as in sun, “sss” like a snake
• v as in van, “vvv”
• z as in zip, “zzz” like a bee

If your child is just starting, letter sounds for kids from this group tend to go in smoothly.

The bouncy sounds you cannot stretch

Other sounds are short bursts. You cannot hold them, so the trick is to keep them as short and quiet as possible.

• b, d, g. Say them quickly with almost no voice after the burst.
• p, t, k. These are whispered. No “puh,” “tuh,” or “kuh,” just a small puff of air.
• c makes the same sound as k in words like cat and cup.
• j as in jug and h as in hat. Keep h especially soft, almost just breath.

A useful habit is to put your hand in front of your mouth. For p and t you should feel a tiny puff, nothing more.