Phonics & Phonemic Awareness
Build strong reading foundations with blends, digraphs, vowel sounds, CVC words, and printable phonics worksheets. A complete phonics resource for early readers!
Blends & Digraphs When two or more letters team up to make sounds
Consonant Blends
In a blend, you can hear both letter sounds. Say them quickly together!
bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl
The consonant pairs with L and you hear both sounds.
br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr
The consonant pairs with R and you hear both sounds.
sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw
S pairs with another consonant at the start of a word.
nd, nk, nt, mp, lt, lk
These blends appear at the end of words.
Digraphs
In a digraph, two letters make ONE new sound that is different from either letter alone.
SH — /sh/
Makes the quiet "shhhh" sound, like telling someone to be quiet.
CH — /ch/
Makes the "choo choo" sound, like a train!
TH — /th/
Put your tongue between your teeth! Can be voiced (the) or unvoiced (think).
WH — /wh/
Makes a breathy W sound at the start of question words.
PH — /f/
Makes the same sound as the letter F!
CK — /k/
Makes the K sound at the end of short vowel words.
Blends = you hear BOTH sounds (bl, cr, st). Digraphs = two letters make ONE new sound (sh, ch, th). Think: "In a blend, sounds blend together. In a digraph, they become a whole new sound!"
Long vs Short Vowels Every vowel makes two main sounds
💥 Short Vowels
Quick, clipped sounds. Found in CVC words.
⭐ Long Vowels
The vowel says its own name! Often uses silent E.
The Magic E Rule
When a word ends with a silent E, it makes the vowel before it say its long sound (its name). The E is silent—it just "waves its magic wand" to change the vowel!
Short → Long with Magic E
Use the "tap and say" method: tap the table for each sound in a word. For cat, tap 3 times: /c/ /a/ /t/. For cake, still tap 3: /c/ /ay/ /k/ — the E is silent! This helps kids feel the difference between short and long vowel words.
CVC Words Consonant-Vowel-Consonant: the building blocks of reading
How CVC Words Work
Sound it out: /k/ + /ă/ + /t/ = cat
CVC Word Families
Choose a vowel to see CVC words grouped by word families:
Practice: Sound It Out!
Click any word to hear it spoken aloud. Practice blending the sounds together!
Teach kids to "stretch" CVC words like a rubber band: say each sound slowly, then snap them together faster. /d/...../o/...../g/ → d-o-g → dog! Start slow and get faster until the word clicks.
Phonics Worksheets Printable activities for hands-on phonics practice
Blend Matching
Match the blend or digraph to the correct word. Great for blend recognition!
Missing Vowel
Fill in the missing vowel to complete CVC words. Builds vowel awareness!
Long or Short Vowel Sort
Sort words into long vowel and short vowel categories.
CVC Word Builder
Use letter clues to build and write CVC words from hints.
Frequently Asked Questions Common questions about phonics and phonemic awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. It's an ear skill—no letters involved! Phonics connects those sounds to written letters and letter patterns. Think of phonemic awareness as the foundation and phonics as the house built on top of it. Both are essential for learning to read.
Most children begin formal phonics instruction in kindergarten (age 5-6), but phonemic awareness activities can start as early as age 3-4 through songs, rhymes, and word games. By the end of first grade, children should know basic letter-sound relationships. By second grade, they should be comfortable with blends, digraphs, and long vowel patterns.
Try these fun activities: 1) Play "I Spy" with blends: "I spy something that starts with /bl/." 2) Make letter cards and slide them together to form blends. 3) Read books that emphasize specific sounds and point them out. 4) Use the "Listen" buttons on this page to practice hearing the sounds. 5) Sort household objects by their beginning sounds. Keep it playful—5-10 minutes of daily practice is plenty!
CVC words are the simplest words children can sound out independently. Because they follow a predictable pattern (consonant-vowel-consonant), kids can use their letter-sound knowledge to decode them without guessing. This builds confidence and reinforces the idea that letters represent sounds. Once children master CVC words, they're ready for blends, digraphs, and longer words!
The Magic E (also called Silent E or Bossy E) rule says that when a word ends in E, the E is silent but makes the vowel before it say its long (name) sound. For example, "cap" becomes "cape" and "hop" becomes "hope." Children typically learn this in late kindergarten or first grade, after they're comfortable with short vowel CVC words. It's one of the most important phonics rules!