The Best Order to Teach Letter Sounds

Learning letter sounds is an important step toward reading, but the order you introduce them can make a big difference. Instead of teaching letters strictly from A to Z, you can introduce letter sounds in an order that helps children begin blending and reading simple words sooner.

If you’re teaching your preschooler or kindergartener phonics at home, you may wonder: Which letter sounds should I teach first?

The good news is that you don’t need to teach every letter sound before your child can begin putting sounds together. A thoughtful sequence can help children build confidence while gradually developing the skills they need for early reading.

In this guide, you’ll learn the best order to teach letter sounds, which sounds are usually easiest to begin with, when to introduce vowels, and how to move from individual sounds to simple words.

Children don’t necessarily need to learn letter sounds in alphabetical order.

Teaching sounds in a carefully chosen sequence can give children opportunities to use the sounds they already know to build simple words. This makes phonics more meaningful because children aren’t only memorizing isolated sounds—they’re learning how sounds work together.

For example, once a child knows several useful consonant sounds and a short vowel, you can begin introducing simple CVC words such as sat, mat, pin, and map.

This is one reason it’s helpful to think about phonics as a progression rather than a list of letters to memorize.

If you’re still building the foundations for reading, start with phonological awareness and make sure your child has plenty of opportunities to listen to and play with sounds in spoken words.

You can also learn more about the difference between the two skills in Phonics vs Phonological Awareness: What’s the Difference?

Not necessarily.

There is nothing wrong with teaching the alphabet from A to Z when you’re focusing on letter recognition, alphabet knowledge, or learning the names of letters.

However, when your specific goal is phonics and early reading, teaching sounds in a strategic order can be more useful.

For example, learning a few consonants that can be combined with a short vowel gives children an opportunity to begin reading simple words sooner.

That can make practice more motivating because children quickly discover that the sounds they are learning can be used to read real words.

If your child is still learning to recognize letters, you may want to begin with How to Teach Letter Recognition before putting too much emphasis on phonics.

You can also explore Letter Sounds vs Letter Names: Which Should You Teach First If you’re unsure how letter names and sounds fit together.

There isn’t one universal sequence that every phonics program must follow. Different curricula use slightly different orders.

However, a useful approach is to begin with common, easy-to-pronounce sounds that can be combined quickly to make simple words.

A practical sequence might look like this:

1. Start With a Small Group of Useful Consonants

Begin with a manageable group rather than introducing many sounds at once.

Common early sounds include:

• m

• s

• t

• p

• n

• c

• d

• b

• f

• r

These sounds are useful because they can be combined with short vowels to create many simple words.

For example:

m + a + t = mat

s + a + t = sat

p + a + t = pat

m + a + p = map

The exact order can vary depending on your phonics program and your child’s needs. The important thing is that children have enough sounds to begin making connections between individual sounds and whole words.

For more ideas, see Phonics & Letter Sounds for Beginners: A Parent’s Starter Guide.

2. Introduce Short Vowels Early

Short vowels are extremely important because they appear in many simple CVC words.

Start introducing sounds such as:

• a as in apple

• i as in igloo

• o as in octopus

• e as in egg

• u as in umbrella

You don’t necessarily have to introduce all five at once.

Once your child knows a few consonants and one short vowel, you can begin building simple words.

For example:

m + a + t = mat

s + a + t = sat

p + i + n = pin

This gives children an immediate reason to learn the sounds.

3. Add More Consonants Gradually

Once your child is comfortable with the first group of sounds, continue adding consonants.

You might introduce:

• l

• h

• g

• k

• w

• j

• v

• y

• x

• z

• q

You don’t need to rush through these.

The goal is not simply to get through the alphabet. The goal is for your child to recognize the letter, say its sound, hear the sound in words, and eventually use it when reading and spelling.

Activities such as Fun Letter Sound Activities can make repeated practice much more enjoyable.

Here’s an example of how you could organize your teaching:

Remember that this is a general teaching sequence, not a rule that every child must follow exactly.

Some children will learn sounds quickly, while others need much more repetition.

One common mistake is waiting until a child knows every letter sound before introducing blending.

You don’t necessarily need to do this.

Once your child knows enough sounds to build simple words, you can begin showing them how those sounds work together.

For example:

m — a — t

Then slowly blend:

mmm-aaa-t

mat

This helps children understand that phonics isn’t simply about identifying individual sounds. The ultimate purpose is to use those sounds to read words.

If your child is ready to begin putting sounds together, see How to Teach Blending.

You can also use Blending Sounds Activities for Preschoolers: Fun Ways to Build Early Reading Skills for playful practice.

CVC words are simple consonant-vowel-consonant words such as:

• cat

• dog

• sun

• map

• sit

• pin

• hen

• top

Your child doesn’t need to know every letter of the alphabet before beginning CVC words.

Instead, start when your child has enough letter sounds to decode a small collection of simple words.

For example, if your child knows:

m, s, t, p, a

you can already make words such as:

mat

sat

pat

map

tap

This is one of the advantages of introducing letter sounds strategically.

For more practice, see CVC Words Activities for Preschool & Kindergarten.

When teaching phonics, make sure children learn what each letter says and is called, not just what it is called.

For example:

Letter: M

Letter name: em

Letter sound: /m/

You can introduce the letter name and sound together, but make sure your child has plenty of opportunities to hear and produce the sound.

You can find more guidance in How to Teach Letter Sounds at Home.

It’s also helpful to connect sounds to real words:

m → moon

s → sun

t → top

p → pig

However, be careful not to add an extra vowel sound after consonants when modelling them. For example, try to say /m/ rather than “muh” when possible.

Children usually benefit from hearing and using sounds repeatedly in different activities.

You might:

• Say the sound together.

• Find objects beginning with the sound.

• Match letters to pictures.

• Trace or write the letter.

• Sort pictures by beginning sound.

• Play sound-matching games.

• Build words with magnetic letters.

• Read simple decodable words.

• Practice blending sounds together.

Short, frequent practice is often more manageable than long phonics sessions.

You can find more ideas in Daily Phonics Activities for Preschoolers and Letter Sound Games You Can Play in 5 Minutes.

Before children can confidently blend sounds in words, they benefit from learning to listen carefully to the sounds in spoken language.

Beginning-sound activities are a simple way to connect phonological awareness with phonics.

For example, ask:

“What sound do you hear at the beginning of sun?”

Your child can listen for /s/.

Then show the letter S and explain that the letter s represents that sound.

This creates an important bridge between hearing sounds and seeing letters.

Try Beginning Sounds Activities for Preschoolers: Fun Ways to Build Early Reading Skills for more ideas.

Once your child knows a useful group of letter sounds, start connecting them.

For example:

s — a — t

Instead of saying each sound separately and stopping, encourage your child to slide the sounds together:

sssaaat → sat

This is where children begin moving from learning individual phonics skills toward actual reading.

If your child finds blending difficult, don’t worry. Blending is a skill that develops with practice.

Use How to Teach Blending for a step-by-step approach.

Some sounds can be more challenging than others.

You may find that your child remembers certain sounds immediately while forgetting others repeatedly.

That’s normal.

Rather than constantly moving forward, revisit difficult sounds through games, books, movement, and everyday activities.

For example, if your child struggles with b, you might spend several days looking for objects beginning with the letter /b/, playing a matching game, tracing B, and practicing the sound.

You can then return to it regularly rather than expecting mastery after one lesson.

There isn’t a fixed number of days that every child should spend learning each sound.

Instead, look for signs that your child is becoming comfortable with the sound.

Your child may be ready to move on when they can usually:

• Recognize the letter.

• Say the corresponding sound.

• Identify the sound when they hear it.

• Connect the sound to simple words.

• Use the sound when blending or building words.

If a sound isn’t secure yet, continue practicing it while introducing other sounds rather than turning phonics into a test.

Teaching Too Many Sounds at Once

Introducing a large number of sounds can overwhelm young learners.

Start small and build gradually.

Teaching Only in Alphabetical Order

Alphabetical order is useful for learning the alphabet, but phonics can benefit from a sequence that allows children to begin building words sooner.

Waiting Too Long to Introduce Blending

Once children know enough sounds to make simple words, give them the opportunities to blend.

Focusing Only on Worksheets

Children can learn phonics through movement, games, conversation, books, magnetic letters, and everyday play.

Expecting Perfect Pronunciation Immediately

Some children need more time and repetition before sounds become automatic.

For more guidance, see Common Phonics Mistakes Parents Make.

By the time children enter kindergarten, expectations can vary, so there is no single checklist that every child must master.

However, many children benefit from having experience with:

• Recognizing many uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Knowing some common letter sounds.

• Hearing beginning sounds.

• Blending simple sounds.

• Recognizing rhyming words.

• Listening for sounds in spoken words.

• Beginning to read simple decodable words.

If you’re preparing your child for kindergarten, you may also want to read Phonics Skills Needed Before Kindergarten and explore Early Reading Skills for Kindergarten: Sight Words, Phonics & What Matters Most.

You don’t need complicated lessons.

A simple routine could look like this:

1. Review

Spend a few minutes reviewing sounds your child already knows.

2. Introduce

Teach one new sound or review a sound that needs more practice.

3. Play

Use a quick game, a picture activity, a movement activity, or an object hunt.

4. Blend

If your child knows enough sounds, practice blending a few simple words.

5. Read

Give your child opportunities to use the sounds they know when reading simple decodable words.

You can keep these sessions short and positive.

For additional ideas, see How to Teach Letter Sounds at Home.

The best order to teach letter sounds isn’t necessarily A to Z.

A more useful approach is to introduce a manageable group of sounds, add short vowels, gradually expand the sound set, and begin blending as soon as your child has enough sounds to build simple words.

Most importantly, keep phonics practice short, consistent, and playful.

Your child doesn’t need to master every letter sound immediately. What matters is gradually building the connections between letters, sounds, spoken words, and print.

And remember that phonics is only one part of becoming a reader. Skills such as listening, rhyming, syllables, beginning sounds, blending, and phoneme awareness all contribute to the bigger picture of early literacy.

If you’re building your child’s reading foundations, start with Early Literacy Skills, then explore the Phonics & Letter Sounds for Beginners: A Parent’s Starter Guide for a broader introduction to teaching phonics at home.

• How to Teach Letter Sounds at Home

• Daily Phonics Activities for Preschoolers

• How to Teach Blending

• Fun Letter Sound Activities

• Letter Sound Games You Can Play in 5 Minutes

• CVC Words Activities for Preschool & Kindergarten

• Free Letter Sounds Printables for Preschool & Kindergarten

• Common Phonics Mistakes Parents Make

• Phonics Skills Needed Before Kindergarten

• Decodable Books for Beginners

Ready to make phonics easier at home? Start with one small group of sounds, practice them regularly, and build toward blending and reading simple words.