Child: ‘I want my Prpl Barney!’
Parent: ‘If you learn to spell it right, you can have it my dear.’
If you’re the parent above, you might find yourself naturally inclined to correct your child thus.
Truth be told, the child in the above example is actually on the ‘right track.’ When he or she is saying ‘Prpl’ instead of ‘Purple’, it’s because that is the way it ‘sounds’ to them. That being said, ‘Prpl’ is just one of the many Phonetic Words little kids use, along the journey of learning Spelling.
In other words, we didn’t use Spell Check to correct ‘Prpl’, and neither should you when your child spells it!
In this article you will learn everything you have ever wanted to know about Phonetic Words. This includes Phonetic Words Examples in a carefully compiled Phonetic Words List. Begin your Phonetic Words journey, with a closer look at ‘What is Phonetics’.
Table of Contents:
- Spelling with Sounds: A Closer Look at What is Phonetics
- Phonetic Words List: An Introduction to Phonetic Words
- The Benefits of Learning Phonetic Words for Kids
- Teaching Phonetic Words to Kids
Spelling with Sounds: A Closer Look at What is Phonetics
Simply put, Phonetics is a way for kids to more easily spell words that are longer and more difficult.
Let’s take an example here. If we look at the letter ‘t’, it’s pretty uncomplicated when using it to write words where the ‘t’ sound can be heard distinctly in the child’s mind. For instance, spelling the word ‘tub’ with it. Things only get a tad complicated, when using ‘t’ to spell words like ‘this’ and ‘that’. That’s because, the sound that ‘th’ creates is not singular, thereby making the word trickier for your preschooler!
To sum things up, when teaching Phonetic Words to children, it’s important to bear in mind that each letter of the ‘phonetic word’ is represented by a ‘single spoken alphabet’.
Example: The sound ‘si’ is heard when children say the letter ‘c’.
Note: This is especially why, when your kids are in their preschool years, you must encourage them to spell those ‘simple’, phonetically-spelled words. Prime examples of these would be: cup, bug, kit, etc.
Phonetic Words List: An Introduction to Phonetic Words
As we have gathered from the above section, it’s all about learning ‘sounds’, as far as learning Phonetic Words goes for our little ones. Beneath we have compiled a list of various Phonetic Word Examples, along with the sounds they make.
Phonetic Word Examples: Consonant Sounds
- b – bad, but
- g – go, bug
- s/ss – pass, see
- th – teeth, the
- ng – sing, ring
- v – visit, have
- l – lion, letter
- m – moon, mad
- f – food, fur
- sh – shout, emotion (This might be a different spelling, but your child will hear ‘sh’ when it is pronounced!)
Phonetic Word Examples: Vowel Sounds
- ee – sleep, deep
- i – kid, pit
- oe – poem, shoe
- ou – count, out
- air – fair, square (Again, this one, when pronounced by kids, leads them to hear ‘air’)
- u – fun, gum
- er – burger, letter
- ar – start, part
- ai – paint, chain
- a – fat, mat
The Benefits of Learning Phonetic Words for Kids
In the previous section we shed light on Phonetic Words Examples. Time now, to see what all the fuss about Phonetic Words is about!
- A Lesson in Patience
- Learning Syllables
- Open syllables. These always end in vowels that have long sounds.
- Closed syllables. These usually have a short vowel alongside them and end with a consonant.
- The Power to Read
When they are practicing Phonetic Spelling, what kids are doing is breaking those larger words into smaller ones. We might take this for granted, but it’s an elaborate task for children that helps cultivate in them the virtue of Patience. A virtue that will hold them in good stead for all their lives!
Syllable-learning is yet another milestone where it comes to learning language. Learning Phonetic Words has kids understanding syllables in the following manner:
When they understand the different sounds that letters make, children are empowered with the ability to read.
Cool Fact: When they read, new neural pathways are forged in the minds of children!
Teaching Phonetic Words to Kids
There are several ways you can teach Phonetic Words to your child.
- Use a Phonetic Spelling Chart
- Turn it into a Game!
- Word Shopping
A Phonetic Spelling Chart is a wonderful way to get kids to understand Phonetic Words better.
Tip: The key here is ‘practice’. The more they practice, the better at learning Phonetic Words they will get.
All kids love games. Learning Phonetic Words is made simpler when it’s in the form of a ‘Sound Game’.
To do: Tell them that you are thinking of a word. This word starts with a letter that makes the sound ‘si’. However, it is the name of an animal! See if they can guess that you are talking about a ‘cat’!
No, not Shopping for Words but learning words as they shop with you!
To do: Let’s say you’re in the supermarket. Pick a letter, say ‘p’. Say the words ‘peanuts’, ‘popcorn’ and ‘pizza’ slowly, emphasizing on the letter ‘p’. Then, let your kids go out there and find them!
Phonetic Spelling marks an important Developmental Milestone for kids, even in the instances when the words are not spelled correctly. All that matters is that the word is still ‘Phonetic’. Encourage your children to use Phonetic Words, and you will find that in time, they ace the art of Spelling!
