Sounds, Letters and First Words
Primary 2 · English
Sounds, Letters and First Words
Lesson 1 of 3
12 min
Mugisha looks at the board. He sees three letters: c a t.
He knows their names. But what do they say?
Today you learn the secret. Letters make sounds. Sounds make words. And words you can read all by yourself.
The letter m has a name. We call it "em".
But when we read, we do not use the name. We use the sound. The sound of m is mmm, like at the start of milk.
Reading uses sounds, not names. Always.
Say each sound out loud. Then say the word.
| Letter | Sound | Word |
|---|---|---|
| m | mmm | milk |
| s | sss | sun |
| n | nnn | net |
| t | t | top |
| p | p | pen |
| b | b | bag |
| d | d | dog |
| g | g | goat |
| c | k | cat |
| h | h | hen |
These five letters are called vowels: a e i o u.
| Vowel | You hear it in | More words |
|---|---|---|
| a | cat | bag, hat, man |
| e | pen | hen, ten, bed |
| i | pin | big, tin, sit |
| o | dog | pot, hot, top |
| u | cup | sun, bus, mud |
Every word on this page has a vowel in it. The vowel holds the word together.
Blending means saying the sounds one after another, then joining them into a word.
Watch what Mugisha does with cat.
Step 1 Say each sound slowly: c ... a ... t
Step 2 Say them faster: c-a-t
Step 3 Push them together: cat!
He just read a word on his own. So can you.
pen → p ... e ... n → p-e-n → pen. The pen in your bag.
dog → d ... o ... g → d-o-g → dog. The dog barking outside.
sun → s ... u ... n → s-u-n → sun. The sun over Kigali.
Notice one thing. You always start at the left and move to the right. Never start in the middle.
Some words have four sounds. The trick does not change at all.
stop → s ... t ... o ... p → four sounds → stop
milk → m ... i ... l ... k → four sounds → milk
hand → h ... a ... n ... d → four sounds → hand
Put up one finger for each sound you say. Your fingers will count them for you.
Tip
Say it slow, then say it fast.
Slow lets you hear the sounds. Fast lets you hear the word. c... a... t... — cat!
Blend each set of sounds out loud, then tap Show answer to check.
b - a - g
h - e - n
p - i - g
c - u - p
How many sounds do you hear in hand?
bag 2. hen 3. pig 4. cup
Four sounds: h - a - n - d.
Did you get them all? Then you are reading. Missed one? Say it again slowly, sound by sound, and it will come.
What you learned today
Quick check
Blend the sounds: h - a - t
