Phonics: How Letters Become Words

Reading is a code — and phonics is the key. Each letter carries a sound, and when you push the sounds together they snap into a word. Here is the whole journey, using the most famous word in phonics: CAT.

The 9-step phonics path

1. 🔤 Letter — meet the letter: C
2. 🔊 Letter sound — C says /k/ ("cuh", like in cat)
3. 🖼️ Example image — picture the sound: 🐱
4. 🔁 Sound repetition — say it again and again: cuh… cuh… cuh!
5. 🧩 Blend sounds — push the sounds together: cuh + ah + tuh
6. 🏗️ Form word — snap them into place: C-A-T
7. 📖 Read word — say it fast and smooth: CAT!
8. 🧠 Recall — cover it up. What sounds were in CAT?
9. 🏆 Quiz — check what you know.

The CAT example, full size

C → /k/   ("cuh")
A → /æ/   ("ah")
T → /t/   ("tuh")

Push them together: cuh… ah… tuh… → C-A-T → CAT! 🐱

Why blending matters

Blending is the moment reading is born. The sounds slide into each other — c-a-t becomes "cat", not "cuh-ah-tuh". It takes practice, and every child finds it at their own speed. The trick is repetition: same sounds, new words, every day.

Practice with audio in the C-A-T phonics lesson, then try D-O-G and S-U-N.