Editing Phonics (section)

==Alternative spellings of the sounds==

The following are a selection of the alternative spellings of the 40+ sounds of the English language based on [[General American English]] pronunciation, recognizing there are many regional variations. Teachers of [[synthetic phonics]] emphasize the letter sounds not the letter names (i.e. ''mmm not em, sss not ess, fff not ef''). It is usually recommended that teachers of English-reading introduce the "most frequent sounds" and the "common spellings" first and save the more infrequent sounds and complex spellings for later. (e.g., the sounds /s/ and /t/ before /v/ and /w/; and the spellings c'''a'''ke before '''eigh'''t and '''c'''at before du'''ck''').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/pdf/pspi22.pdf|title=HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE INFORMS THE TEACHING OF READING, American Psychological Society, VOL. 2, NO. 2, NOVEMBER 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/425601/PRIMARY_national_curriculum.pdf|title=The national curriculum in England, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/cf/documents/elaeldfwchapter3.pdf|title=English Language Arts/ English Language Development Framework, figure 3.10, California Department of Education, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf|title=Common core standards, figures 8 & 9, USA}}</ref>

For a more complete list of alternative spellings of the sounds, see [[English orthography#Sound-to-spelling correspondences]].

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::'''Short vowels:'''
::''a'' - m'''a'''t, pl'''ai'''d, h'''a'''v'''e''', h'''al'''f, l'''au'''gh
::''e'' - b'''e'''d, m'''a'''ny, h'''ea'''d, s'''ai'''d, fr'''ie'''nd, g'''ue'''st
::''i'' - f'''i'''sh, g'''y'''m, b'''u'''sy, pr'''e'''tty, l'''y'''nch, g'''i'''v'''e'''
::''o'' - '''o'''n, f'''a'''ther, s'''aw''', f'''au'''cet, ch'''al'''k, c'''augh'''t
::''u'' - '''u'''p, '''o'''nion, t'''ou'''ch, l'''o'''v'''e''', d'''oe'''s, bl'''oo'''d
::''oo'' - l'''oo'''k, p'''u'''sh, sh'''oul'''d, w'''o'''lf, 
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::'''Long vowels:'''
::''a'' - c'''a'''k'''e''', pl'''ay''', m'''ai'''d, br'''ea'''k, '''eigh'''t, v'''ei'''l
::''e'' - b'''ee''', '''ea'''t, funn'''y''', sh'''e''', sc'''e'''n'''e''', k'''ey'''
::''i'' - b'''i'''k'''e''', f'''i'''nd, n'''igh'''t, m'''y''', t'''ie''', '''is'''land
::''o'' - p'''o'''ny, r'''o'''p'''e''', b'''ow''', b'''oa'''t, t'''oe''', d'''ough'''
::''u'' - c'''u'''b'''e''', '''u'''niform, f'''ew''', h'''ue''', f'''eu'''d, b'''eau'''ty
::''oo'' - r'''oo'''m, fl'''u''', s'''ui'''t, s'''ou'''p, gr'''oo'''ve, t'''wo'''
::''ow'' - h'''ou'''se, cl'''ow'''n, pl'''ough'''
::''oy'' - t'''oy''', '''oi'''l, n'''oi'''s'''e''', garg'''oy'''l'''e''', turqu'''oi'''s'''e'''
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::'''R-controlled vowels:'''
::''air'' - ch'''air''', c'''are''', v'''er'''y, w'''ar'''y, c'''arr'''y, p'''ear''', wh'''ere'''
::''ar'' - '''ar'''t, h'''ear'''t, g'''uar'''dian, baz'''aar''', '''are''', s'''er'''geant
::''ear'' - f'''ear''', st'''eer''', h'''ere'''
::''er'' - butt'''er''', w'''or'''d, b'''ir'''d, col'''or''', t'''ur'''key, '''ear'''th
::''or'' - s'''or'''t, r'''oar''', fl'''oor''', c'''ore''', f'''our''', qu'''ar'''t
::''ure'' - c'''ure''', t'''our'''ist
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::'''Simple consonants:'''
::''b'' - '''b'''all, ra'''bb'''it
::''c/k'' - '''c'''amera, '''k'''itten, s'''ch'''ool, tru'''ck''', o'''cc'''ur, anti'''que'''
::''d'' - '''d'''rive, rain'''ed''', la'''dd'''er
::''f'' - '''f'''irst, '''ph'''otogra'''ph''', sti'''ff''', lau'''gh''', ca'''lf''', sa'''pph'''ire
::''g'' - '''g'''irl, e'''gg''', '''gh'''ost, lea'''gue''', '''gu'''ard
::''h'' - '''h'''ome, '''wh'''o
::''j'' - '''j'''am, pa'''ge''', '''g'''ym, fri'''dge''', sol'''di'''er, a'''dj'''ust, re'''gi'''on
::''l'' - '''l'''ight, be'''ll''', peop'''le'''
::''m'' - '''m'''an, welco'''me''', ha'''mm'''er, cru'''mb''', pa'''lm''', colu'''mn''', phle'''gm'''
::''n'' - '''n'''ew, su'''nn'''y, '''kn'''ow, '''gn'''at, '''pn'''eumatic, '''mn'''emonic, ha'''nd'''some
::''p'' - '''p'''iano, '''p'''u'''pp'''y
::''r'' - '''r'''iver, so'''rr'''ow, '''wr'''ist, co'''l'''onel, co'''rps''', mo'''rt'''gage, '''rh'''ythm 
::''s'' - '''s'''mile, gra'''ss''', '''s'''au'''ce''', mou'''se''', '''c'''ity, '''sc'''ene
::''t'' - '''t'''ravel, bu'''tt'''er, slipp'''ed''', de'''bt''', ya'''cht''', recei'''pt'''
::''v'' - '''v'''an, glo'''ve'''
::''w'' - '''w'''all, '''wh'''ite
::''y'' - '''y'''ellow, on'''i'''on
::''z'' - '''z'''oo, fri'''es''', chee'''se''', bree'''ze''', pu'''zz'''le, sci'''ss'''ors
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'''Complex consonants and digraphs:'''
::''ch'' - '''ch'''air, wa'''tch''', '''c'''ello, righ'''t'''eous, ques'''ti'''on, struc'''t'''ure
::''k+s''<sup>1</sup> - bo'''x''', boo'''ks''', du'''cks''', la'''kes'''
::''k+w''<sup>1</sup> - '''qu'''een
::''-ul'' - tab'''le''', anim'''al''', cam'''el'''
::''ng'' - spri'''ng'''
::''sh'' - '''sh'''ow, lo'''t'''ion, '''s'''ure, '''ch'''ef, mi'''ss'''ion, o'''ce'''an, spe'''ci'''al, 
::''th'' - '''th'''ink
::''th'' - '''th'''em
::''g+z''<sup>1</sup> - e'''x'''am, e'''x'''ist
::''z-h'' - vi'''si'''on, trea'''s'''ure, a'''z'''ure, equa'''ti'''on, gara'''ge''', re'''g'''ime

{{smaller|<sup>1</sup> Clearly, "k+s", "k+w" and "g+z" each have two sounds that are blended together. However, they are often taught in this fashion to make it easier for the learner to understand the sounds of "x" and "qu".}}
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