Same Reading › Letters and sounds › Pure letter sounds
What are pure letter sounds?
A pure sound is the sound a letter makes on its own, without an extra “uh” on the end. The letter m says /mmm/, not “muh.” It sounds like a small thing, but the extra “uh” makes blending hard: /cuh/ /a/ /tuh/ sounds nothing like cat.
- Stretchy sounds like m, s, f and the vowels can be held: /mmm/, /sss/.
- Quick sounds like t, p, b and k are short and crisp: /t/, not “tuh.”
- Say them right and blending works: /c/ /a/ /t/ → cat
Why schools teach it
Clean sounds make blending possible
Kindergartners learn the most common sound for each letter (RF.K.3a) and the short and long sound of each vowel (RF.K.3b). Teachers model the sounds carefully because kids copy exactly what they hear.
Many of us learned the alphabet with an extra vowel on each sound: buh, cuh, duh. When kids add “uh” and then try to blend, /buh/ /a/ /guh/ comes out as “buh-a-guh” instead of bag. Pure sounds slide together into a word.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What sound does this letter make?
Ask for the sound, not the letter name.Can you stretch it? /mmm/
For stretchy sounds.Make it quick, like a whisper.
For quick sounds like /t/ and /p/.Watch my mouth. For /f/, your teeth touch your lip.
Showing where the mouth goes helps.
Skip this
B says buh.
That extra “uh” is exactly what teachers are trying to remove.- Only drilling letter names.Names matter, but reading uses sounds. Kids need both.
X says ecks.
The sound of x is /ks/, as at the end of box.
See it in action
Saying the sounds in “map”
Hold the stretchy /m/
/mmm/Hold the vowel, short a as in apple
/aaa/Close your lips for a quick /p/, no “uh”
/mmm/ /aaa/ /p/ → map
Stretchy sounds run into each other easily, which is why many first words start with m, s or f.
Free practice sheet
Make a letter sounds sheet
Loading practice sheet…
Fridge cheat sheets
Reading Fridge Cheat Sheets
Every reading method in one printable book (107 pages): a cheat sheet page like this guide, plus a practice sheet and its answer key for each, in Classic and handwritten Notebook styles. $9 one time, or all 7 subjects for $29.99. See all prices.
Teacher? This method has a classroom pack on TeachersPayTeachers: an anchor chart, a parent letter and practice sheets with answer keys, $4. See the pack
Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
Should my child learn letter names or sounds first?
Both are taught in kindergarten. For reading, the sound is what counts, so practice sounds whenever you can.
Why does the teacher call some sounds stretchy?
Sounds like /m/, /s/ and /f/ can be held as long as you have breath. Quick sounds like /t/ can't. Knowing the difference helps with blending.
What about letters with two sounds, like c and g?
Kindergarten starts with the most common one: /k/ for c, and /g/ as in goat. The other sounds come later.
How do I say the short vowel sounds?
a as in apple, e as in egg, i as in itch, o as in octopus, u as in up.