Segmenting words into sounds

English · Spelling & Word Study · ages 4-7

Name ______________________ Date ____________

You say pin slowly and hear /p/ /i/ /n/. Which letters do you write?
- p, n
- p, i, n
- n, i, p
How many sounds do you hear in the word bed?
- 3
- 2
- 4
To spell a word, you should say it slowly and listen for each sound.
Circle one: True False
Which spelling matches the sounds /f/ /i/ /sh/?
- fish
- fiss
- fihs
Sam hears the word sun. Which sounds does he hear in order?
- /u/ /s/ /n/
- /s/ /n/ /u/
- /s/ /u/ /n/
Count the sounds in the word flag. Type how many you hear.
Answer: ______________
Emma writes d, o, g for dog. Next she hears /f/ /r/ /o/ /g/. How many letters should she write?
- 3
- 5
- 4
Leo spells ship as four separate sounds: /s/ /h/ /i/ /p/. What did he get wrong?
- He wrote the letters backwards
- sh makes one sound, not two
- He forgot the letter p

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

p, i, n · Each sound gets its own letter: p for /p/, i for /i/, n for /n/.
3 · Say bed slowly: /b/ /e/ /d/. That is three sounds.
True · That is the first step before writing any letters.
fish · f for /f/, i for /i/, and sh for /sh/ spells fish.
/s/ /u/ /n/ · Sounds come in the same order as you say the word: /s/, then /u/, then /n/.
4 · Say flag slowly: /f/ /l/ /a/ /g/. That is four sounds.
4 · Frog has one more sound than dog: /f/ /r/ /o/ /g/, four sounds and four letters.
sh makes one sound, not two · The letters s and h together stand for one sound, /sh/, so ship has only three sounds.