Letters and sounds
Understand that letters and sounds are different in English, and learn the common sounds of consonants.
In this lesson you will
- Understand that one letter can have different sounds
- Say common consonant sounds
- Recognise silent letters
Learn
In English, the name of a letter and its sound are often different. The letter C is called “see”, but in cat it sounds /k/ and in city it sounds /s/.
Some useful patterns:
- C = /k/ before a, o, u (cat, cold, cup) and /s/ before e, i, y (centre, city, cycle).
- G = /g/ in go, big and often /dʒ/ before e, i, y (age, giant) — but not always (get, give).
- th has two sounds: /θ/ in think, three and /ð/ in this, mother.
- sh = /ʃ/ (she, fish), ch = /tʃ/ (chair, lunch), ph = /f/ (phone).
Some letters are silent — you write them but don’t say them: the k in know, the w in write, the b in climb, the h in hour, the gh in night.
Because spelling and sound don’t always match, always listen to new words, not just read them.
| Letters | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| sh | /ʃ/ | she, shop, fish |
| ch | /tʃ/ | chair, cheese, lunch |
| th | /θ/ or /ð/ | three, thank / this, the |
| ph | /f/ | phone, photo |
| ck | /k/ | back, clock |
| ng | /ŋ/ | sing, long |
Examples
- cat — cityC = /k/ and /s/
- go — giantG = /g/ and /dʒ/
- think — thistwo th sounds
- know, write, hoursilent k, w, h
- phone, photoph = /f/
Vocabulary
sound
what you hear
“The ‘c’ in city has an /s/ sound.”
silent
not spoken
“The k in know is silent.”
know
have information
“I know the answer.”
write
put words on paper
“Write your name.”
hour
60 minutes
“The film is two hours long.”
phone
a device for calling people
Practice
In which word does C sound like /s/?
Speaking
Read these words aloud, paying attention to the first sound: cat, city, go, gym, think, this, she, cheese, phone.
- For th, put your tongue lightly between your teeth.
Writing
Find six English words you know with a silent letter. Write each word and underline (or name) the silent letter.
Lesson quiz
In “cycle”, the first C sounds like:
Review
Key points
- Letter names and letter sounds are different.
- C = /k/ or /s/; G = /g/ or /dʒ/.
- sh, ch, th, ph, ck, ng are pairs with one sound.
- Some letters are silent: know, write, climb, hour, night.
What you learned
- ✓ I know that letters can have different sounds.
- ✓ I can say common consonant sounds.
- ✓ I can recognise silent letters.