Blending Sounds: Turning Letters Into Words
Say these three sounds slowly: /c/ ... /a/ ... /t/. Now say them faster... faster... cat! You just did something amazing. You took three little sounds and blended them into a whole word. This is the big secret of reading. Words are made of sounds, and if you can blend the sounds together, you can read the word. Let's practice!
What You'll Learn
In this lesson you will: - Learn that letters make sounds. - Blend sounds together to make a word. - Read some real three-sound words all by yourself.
Letters Make Sounds
Every letter has a sound. The letter s says /sss/, like a snake. The letter m says /mmm/, like when food is yummy. The letter a says /a/, like in apple. When you see a letter, you can say its sound. Try these: /sss/ ... /mmm/ ... /a/. Great job making sounds!
When you blend, stretch the sounds together without stopping between them. Say 'mmm-aaa-p' and keep going until it turns into 'map.' No breaks—just stretch it like bubble gum!
Blend the Sounds Together
Blending means saying the sounds one after another and squishing them into a word. Let's try the word 'sun.' First sound: /sss/. Next sound: /u/. Last sound: /nnn/. Now say them together, faster and faster: /sss/-/u/-/nnn/... sun! You read it!
You Can Read Three-Sound Words
Lots of words have just three sounds. Once you can blend three sounds, you can read them all! Try these with a grown-up. Say each sound, then blend: /d/-/o/-/g/ makes dog. /h/-/a/-/t/ makes hat. /b/-/e/-/d/ makes bed. Every time you blend, you are really reading!
Match the sounds to the word they make when you blend them.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
You say the sounds /m/ ... /a/ ... /p/ and blend them fast. What word do you make?
What does 'blending' mean when you read?
Make a Word Slider
Build a blending toy! 1) With a grown-up, write three letters on three cards, like s, u, n. 2) Line them up left to right. 3) Point to each letter and say its sound: /s/ ... /u/ ... /n/. 4) Slide your finger under the letters and blend faster until you hear the word: sun! 5) Swap the first letter for a new one, like f, and read the new word: fun! Deliverable: read at least three words out loud to someone using your letter cards.
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