Are your students struggling to master certain phonics rules? Are you wondering which phonics rules you need to teach, and when you should teach them?

If so, this blog post is for you! 

Phonics rules are essentially guidelines that help readers understand the relationships between letters and sounds.

Letter- sound relationships can be as simple as: “the short vowel sound of the letter ‘a’ is /ă/,” or as complex as “the letters “dge” work together to represent the /j/ sound at the end of a word, because English words don’t end in the letter ‘j.'”

As teachers, we can usually identify which phonics rules are trickiest for our students to learn, and which they can learn in a snap. But it’s not always as easy to identify when students are ready to learn specific rules, or how to sequence phonics instruction. 

In this blog post, I’ll explore some of the trickier phonics rules K-2 students need to learn, plus share guidelines for sequencing your phonics instruction.

Knowing when to teach each rule will allow you to spend more time on the trickier rules, allowing your students to reach mastery before they move on to more complex rules. 

Plus, I’m giving you a FREE Phonics Terms and Rules Guide to help you plan your phonics instruction! 

Phonics Terms 

Not only does our English language have specific rules for how to pronounce and spell different sounds, but there are also many “phonics terms” that we use to define the various different types of sounds that exist in our language.

Let’s explore what some of these terms are. By understanding these terms, you will be better equipped to teach the rules that surround them.  

Phonemes & Graphemes

A phoneme is a speech sound – one unit of sound within a syllable or word. A grapheme is one (or more) letters that represent a single sound. 

Let’s look at the word “tap” and identify the phonemes and graphemes. There are three phonemes (sounds) in this word: /t/, /ă/, /p/. There are also three graphemes (letters) that represent each phoneme: “t,” “a,” and “p.”

Although the word “tap” has an equal number of phonemes and graphemes, this is not always the case. For example, words with digraphs will have more graphemes than phonemes. (We’ll cover digraphs in a bit!) 

Consonants, Vowels, & Syllables

A vowel is a speech sound that is made with little to no constriction of air flow from the lungs. In English, the vowel letters are “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” “u,” and sometimes “y.” Vowels can have short sounds, like the /ĭ/ in “bit,” or long sounds, like the /ī/ in “bite.”

Consonants are any letter that is not a vowel. A consonant sound differs from a vowel sound in the way the sound is produced. There is some closure of the vocal tract when you’re producing a consonant sound like /z/ or /th/. 

A syllable is a part of a word that contains one vowel sound. Words have as many syllables as they have vowel sounds. Every syllable has at least one written vowel.

Digraphs & Trigraphs

Digraphs are two letters (graphemes) that work together to make one sound (phoneme). Similarly, trigraphs are formed by three letters and these three letters represent one sound. 

Examples of consonant digraphs include the following letter combinations: “ch,” “sh,” “th,” “wh,” “ph,” and “ck.” Consonant digraphs can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

In the word “shop,” there are four graphemes (“s,” “h,” “o,” and “p”) but there are only three sounds (/sh/, /ŏ/, and /p/). In the word “chuck,” there are 5 graphemes (“c,” “h,” “u,” “c,” and “k”) but only three phonemes (/ch/, /ŭ/, /k/)! 

The letters “tch” are an example of a trigraph. In the word “match” we see five graphemes (“m,” “a,” “t,” “c,” and “h”), but we only hear three phonemes (/m/, /ă/, /ch/). 

When we teach students about digraphs and trigraphs, we must be explicit in our teaching so that they understand that multiple letters work together to spell just one sound.

We can do this by providing multiple practice opportunities to read and spell words with digraphs. (Which, by the way — providing multiple practice opportunities is essential to teaching all of the phonics rules outlined in this post, not just digraphs.) 

Consonant Blends

A consonant blend is formed when two or more consonants cluster together at the beginning or end of a word. Each letter in the blend will make its own sound. The sounds of each consonant are still heard, but they blend together as the reader pronounces the word.

There are many, many combinations of consonant blends. In the word “strap,” the letters “str” form a consonant blend. This word has five graphemes, and because each letter in the blend makes its sound, it has five phonemes (/s/, /t/, /r/, /ă/, and /p/). In the word “trust,” there are two consonant blends (“tr” and “st”) and five phonemes (/t/, /r/, /ŭ/, /s/, /t/). 

CVCe Words

CVCe words are made up of a consonant, followed by a vowel, a consonant, and a silent “e.” The vowel usually makes its long sound.

In the word “take,” there are four graphemes (“t,” “a,” “k,” and “e”) and three phonemes (/t/, /ā/, /k/). Since the letter “e” is silent, it does not count as a phoneme. 

Vowel Teams

Vowel teams are similar to consonant digraphs in that two letters combine to make one sound, but in this case, the letters are working together to represent a vowel sound. Some examples of vowel teams include the “ea” in the word “read” and the “oa” in the word “boat.”

Other vowel teams include the letters “ai” as in “rain,” “ie” as in “pie,” “ay” as in “play,” or “ue” as in “blue.” In each of these words, you can see how the vowel team makes one sound, and the sound is long.

Typically, vowel teams will make a long vowel sound. There are exceptions, however, when the vowel team sound represents a short vowel sound (like the “ea” representing the short “e” sound in “bread”).

Sometimes, vowel letters combine with consonants to make one sound, such as with the vowel team “igh” in the word “night.” Again, you can hear that the vowel sound in “night” is the long “i.” 

Diphthong

A diphthong is a vowel sound formed by combining two vowel sounds within a single syllable. The sound begins as one vowel, and glides to another vowel sound. For example, the letters “oi” are a diphthong, found in words like “coin” and “spoil.” 

​Other examples of diphthongs include the letters “aw” as in “straw,” “au” as in “haul,” and “oy” as in “toy.”

R-controlled Vowels

An r-controlled vowel is made up of a vowel that’s immediately followed by the letter “r.” The “r” influences the sound the vowel makes. This is sometimes referred to as the “bossy r.” 

Some examples of r-controlled vowels include the letters “ar” as in “card,” “ir” as in “bird,” “er” as in “herd,” “or” as in “fork,” and “ur” as in “purse.” 

When to Teach Phonics Rules

So far, we’ve covered phonics terms. Now for the rules!

First, it’s important to remember that many of these terms are the phonics rules themselves.

For example, teaching digraphs means teaching students that the letter combination “sh” makes the /sh/ sound, and that a phoneme can be spelled by more than one letter.

Next, let’s discuss when to introduce these concepts.

Typically, in kindergarten, students learn that individual letters are represented by sounds. At this age, it is not necessary to teach students the terms “phoneme” and “grapheme.”

Through instruction, students begin to connect sounds with letters. Once they have solidified a number of letter-sound connections, they can begin to decode one syllable words that follow a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern. 

After students read CVC words accurately and fluently, introduce digraphs and blends. Some programs teach digraphs first, while others teach blends. Blends and digraphs are typically taught late in kindergarten and/or early in first grade.

In first grade, students are usually ready for long vowel sounds and CVCe words. Remember, explicit instruction and ample practice are crucial in order for students to read and spell these patterns accurately.

After CVCe words, choose between r-controlled vowels and vowel teams. You’ll likely introduce them at the end of first grade and/or at beginning of second grade. Diphthongs follow next, also in second grade.

Of course, there are other nuanced phonics rules and terms to teach – and at the end of this post, you’ll get a link to a freebie so you can read more!

And, if you are looking for a more specific scope and sequence to follow for phonics instruction, check out my From Sounds to Spelling Phonics Program!

From Sounds to Spelling ® provides 35 weeks of phonics, phonological awareness, and spelling instruction for Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students. It incorporates all of the above terms/rules and much more!

Specific Phonics Rules

Now that we’ve explored common phonics terminology and approximately when to teach these core concepts, let’s talk about some of the trickier phonics rules in the English language! 

Spelling & Pronunciation Rules

We’ve already seen that there are various pronunciations for different letter combinations.

Let’s explore a few more of these pronunciations and what rules to follow when reading and spelling words with these features: 

• Hard/soft “c” and “g”: The letters “c” and “g” can each represent two sounds. The letter “c” can represent the /k/ or /s/ sound, and the letter “g” can represent the /g/ or /j/ sound.
  • Hard Sounds (/k/ and /g/): “c” and “g” have a hard sound before the letters “a,” “o,” or “u,” such as in the words “goat” and “cup.”
  • Soft Sounds (/s/ and /j/): “c” and “g” have a soft sound before the letters “e,” “i,” or “y,” such as in the words “giraffe” and “cinema.” This is more consistent with the letter “c.”
• “-ge” vs. “-dge”: When do we use the “ge” spelling vs. the “dge” spelling?
  • When you hear the /j/ sound at the end of a word or syllable and it is preceded by a short vowel, it is spelled “-dge,” such as in the words “dodge” and “ridge.”
  • If there is a consonant, long vowel, or vowel team prior to the /j/ sound, it is spelled “-ge” such as in the words “huge” or “wage.”
• “s” pronounced /z/: An “s” between two vowels often sounds like /z/. Some examples include the words “rise” and “music.”

Vowel Team Generalizations

As we discussed earlier in this post, vowel teams are made up of multiple letters that work together to make a single vowel sound. There are many different vowel team spellings, and many vowel teams make the same sound. 

Here are some generalizations to follow when teaching students phonics rules surrounding vowel teams: 

• ai/ay: The letters “ai” and “ay” both represent the long /a/ sound.
  • Use “ai” at the beginning or middle of a syllable or word, such as in the words “raid,” “aim,” and “waist.” 
  • Use “ay” at the end of a syllable or word, such as in the words “play” and “may.”
• oa/ow/oe: The letters “oa,” “ow,” and “oe” all represent the long /o/ sound.
  • Use “oa” at the beginning or middle of a syllable or word, such as in the words “boat” and “roach.” 
  • Use “ow” at the end of a syllable or word, such as in the words “stow” and “mow.” Sometimes another letter may come after it, however, like in the word “grown.”
  • The less common vowel team “oe” is found at the end of a syllable or word, such as in the words “doe” and “toenail.”

Diphthong Generalizations

There are also some generalizations to follow when reading and spelling words with diphthongs: 

• oi/oy: The letters “oi” and “oy” both represent the /oy/ sound.
  • Use “oi” in the beginning or middle of a syllable or word, such as in the words “toil” and “noise.” 
  • Use “oy” at the end of a word, such as in the words “joy” and “ploy.” 
• ou/ow: The letters “ou” and “ow” both represent the /ow/ sound.
  • Use “ou” in the beginning or middle of a syllable or word, such as in the words “out” and “couch.” 
  • Use “ow” at the end of a word, such as in the words “cow” and “plow,” except before n or l, such as in “crown” and “growl.”  

Conclusion

Want to learn even more phonics terms and rules? 

Download my FREE Phonics Terms and Rules Guide to learn everything you need to confidently teach phonics rules! 

This guide will be your companion when teaching phonics to students in kindergarten, first, and second grade! It includes definitions of more phonics terms and rules (such as the “c” and “k” spelling rule) and much more! 

And if you’re looking to learn more about the sounds of English and some of the terminology explored in this post, be sure to check out this blog post:

Happy teaching!