Parent Resource
A–Z Phonics Sounds Chart
A simple chart for parents teaching letter sounds at home. Each letter shows its most common sound, an example word, and a quick tip to pronounce it without adding an "uh" at the end (it's "mmm", not "muh").
The 26 letter sounds
/æ/ as in Apple
Open mouth, short — 'a', not 'ay'.
/b/ as in Ball
Press lips, quick puff — 'b', not 'buh'.
/k/ as in Cat
Back of throat — 'k', not 'kuh'.
/d/ as in Dog
Tongue taps the roof — 'd', not 'duh'.
/e/ as in Egg
Short and flat — 'e', not 'ee'.
/f/ as in Fish
Teeth on lip, blow — long 'ffff'.
/g/ as in Goat
Back of throat — 'g', not 'guh'.
/h/ as in Hat
Whisper a breath — 'h', not 'huh'.
/ɪ/ as in Igloo
Short and quick — 'i', not 'eye'.
/dʒ/ as in Jam
Tongue tip, voiced — 'j', not 'juh'.
/k/ as in Kite
Same as hard C — 'k', not 'kuh'.
/l/ as in Lion
Tongue to roof — long 'lll'.
/m/ as in Moon
Lips closed, hum — long 'mmm'.
/n/ as in Nest
Tongue to roof, hum — long 'nnn'.
/ɒ/ as in Octopus
Round mouth — 'o', not 'oh'.
/p/ as in Pig
Lips press, puff — 'p', not 'puh'.
/kw/ as in Queen
Always paired with u — 'kw'.
/r/ as in Rain
Curl tongue back — 'r', not 'ruh'.
/s/ as in Sun
Smile, hiss — long 'sss'.
/t/ as in Tap
Tongue taps front — 't', not 'tuh'.
/ʌ/ as in Umbrella
Relaxed mouth — 'u', not 'you'.
/v/ as in Van
Teeth on lip, voiced — long 'vvv'.
/w/ as in Water
Round lips — 'w', not 'wuh'.
/ks/ as in Box
Usually ends a word — 'ks'.
/j/ as in Yo-yo
Quick glide — 'y', not 'yuh'.
/z/ as in Zebra
Voiced hiss — long 'zzz'.
How to use this chart
- Practice 3–5 letters a day, not all 26 at once.
- Say the sound first ("mmm"), then the letter name ("M").
- Find the sound in real words around you — milk, mango, moon.
- Trace the letter while saying the sound — sight + sound + touch.
Practice the sounds in a game
Want your child to hear and trace each sound with friendly mascots? Try Zokr — free for parents, designed for ages 3–8.