What is it?
Phonics teaches the sound of every letter (c says “kuh”, not “see”) and then blends sounds into simple words like c-a-t, sh-ee-p and fr-o-g, which is how most children learn to read.
Who is it for?
Pre-school and early primary children, parents supporting reading at home, teachers of phonics programmes, and English learners of any age.
How to use it
- Tap a letter to hear its sound.
- In blending, tap 🔊 Sound it out to hear the word sound by sound, then the whole word.
- Tap Next word ▶ for another; play the quiz with Hear again and Play again.
Teaching tips
Start with s, a, t, p, i, n, which make many short words (sat, pin, tap). Say sounds short and crisp, and encourage children to blend aloud with you. Pair with Sight Words for tricky words that can’t be sounded out, like “the” and “said”.
For parents and teachers
Short sessions work best: 5–10 minutes a day, then something active. Sit with young children, say the answers aloud together, and praise effort, not just right answers. Everything runs on the device with no sign-up, no chat and no data collected about your child.
Errors and how to fix them
- No sound when tapping 🔊: turn up the volume, switch off silent mode (on iPhone, the side switch), and check the browser tab isn’t muted. Sounds use your device’s built-in voices.
- Sounds seem strange: device voices sometimes stretch sounds; repeat them yourself clearly and short (“/k/”, not “kuh-uh”).
Open the tool: Phonics: Sounds and Blending
Still stuck?
Contact support. Tell us which tool or page you were using, what you tapped, what you saw, and your phone or computer and browser (for example: Android phone, Chrome). We reply by email.
Questions, or an error not listed here?
Tell us in the comments: what you were doing, the exact message you saw, and your device and browser. We read every comment and add new fixes to this article.