Basic Phonics Rules

An important element in learning both reading and spelling is mastering basic phonics rules

These rules are needed for sounding out words while you are reading or changing the sounds you hear into a spelled out word. Most schools will teach the basic phonics rules as part of their reading curriculum. Some of the most commonly taught basic phonics rules are listed below.

One thing to remember when learning phonics is that vowels can have both short and long sounds. When a vowel is followed by a consonant it will usually have a short sound. When there is only one vowel in a word (mat, log, hug) it will usually have a short sound as well. When words have two vowels right next together the first vowel is usually given the long sound while the second vowel is silent (float, meat). When a word ends in a silent e the sound of the vowel within the word is usually the long vowel sound (bike, vote). The combination of ou and ow both make the ow sound when in the middle of the word and the o sound when at the end of a word (count, mow).

There are also many different rules that can be applied to consonants. Double consonants will only make one sound (mess, loss). When certain consonants are combined they are used together to make one sound. For example sh makes the sound as if you were asking someone to be quiet. The sound made by ch can be compared to a train going up a hill. The sound made by th is like putting your tongue on your front teeth and blowing. The wh combination can have either a hard or soft sound. The hard sound can be found in words like whale while the soft sound can be seen in words like who.