Letters and their sounds
Every letter in the alphabet has its own special sound, and learning those sounds helps you read words!
Did you know that every letter has its very own sound? The alphabet has 26 letters, and each one makes a sound — just like each instrument in a band plays its own note. When you put those sounds together, you can read words! That is the magic of letters and their sounds.
Here is a fun example: the letter S makes the sound /s/, like the hissing sound a snake makes — "sssss"! You can hear that sound at the start of words like sun, sock, and sand. Whenever you see the letter S, you can think of that ssssnake!
Here is another example: the letter B makes the sound /b/, like a little pop — the sound at the start of ball, bus, and banana. Try saying "ball" slowly: b… a… ll. Did you hear the /b/ at the beginning? Great job!
Now here is something fun to think about: can you look around the room you are in right now and find one object whose name starts with the letter M? What sound does M make at the start of that word?