Word Reading
EYFSLIT-R-D002
Decoding words using phonic knowledge, including letter-sound correspondences, digraph awareness, and reading common exception words (ELG 9).
National Curriculum context
Word Reading at EYFS is the foundational layer of the systematic synthetic phonics programme that continues through KS1 and into KS2. The ELG specifies three components that together constitute early decoding competence: knowing a sound (phoneme) for each letter of the alphabet (GPC knowledge), knowing the sounds for at least 10 digraphs (two letters representing one sound, e.g. sh, ch, th, ee, ai), and being able to blend phonemes to read words consistent with the child's current phonic knowledge, including reading simple sentences and books. Children at this stage also begin to recognise common exception words (tricky words) that cannot be fully decoded phonically, such as 'the', 'said', 'was'. This domain has the most direct relationship to statutory KS1 requirements: the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 tests the same knowledge and skills. Reception-class systematic phonics teaching is therefore the essential prerequisite for KS1 English reading. The EYFS word reading domain is taught through discrete daily phonics sessions using a structured programme (typically Read Write Inc., Jolly Phonics, or Letters and Sounds Phase 2-3).
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Concepts
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Clusters
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Prerequisites
4
With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Practice: Letter-Sound Knowledge, Digraph Awareness, Phonemic Blending for Reading (+1)
practiceConcepts (4)
Letter-Sound Knowledge
Keystone knowledge AI FacilitatedLIT-R-C004
The knowledge of the phoneme (sound) associated with each grapheme (letter) of the alphabet in its single-letter form. This is the foundational grapheme-phoneme correspondence (GPC) knowledge required for both decoding (reading) and encoding (writing). Secure letter-sound knowledge means the child can, when shown any letter, immediately say the corresponding phoneme, and conversely, when given a phoneme, identify the corresponding grapheme. This applies to all 26 letters of the alphabet. Letter-sound knowledge is the entry point to the systematic synthetic phonics programme and is the prerequisite for all subsequent phonics work including digraphs, blending, and segmenting.
Teaching guidance
Teach letter sounds in a structured sequence following the school's chosen phonics programme (typically starting with high-frequency, easily distinguishable sounds such as s, a, t, p, i, n). Ensure children can both identify the grapheme and produce the phoneme — and vice versa. Use multi-sensory approaches: auditory (hear the sound), visual (see the letter), kinaesthetic (write or trace the letter). Practise daily using flashcards, games, and activities. Distinguish between letter names and letter sounds — at this stage, sounds are more important for decoding.
Common misconceptions
Children often confuse letter names with letter sounds (e.g., saying 'aitch' instead of 'h' when decoding). Some children learn letter sounds in a fixed order (through a song, for example) and cannot access a sound out of that sequence. Multiple practice formats that retrieve sounds in random order help build flexible, secure knowledge.
Difficulty levels
Beginning to recognise some letter shapes and associate a few with their sounds, particularly letters in their own name.
Example task
Show the child the letters in their name. 'Can you tell me any of the sounds these letters make?'
Model response: The child recognises the first letter of their name: 'That's my letter! S — sss!' They may recognise 2-3 other letters from their name.
Sometimes saying the sound for most single letters of the alphabet, with growing speed and accuracy.
Example task
Show flashcards of single letters in random order. Can the child say the sound for each?
Model response: The child correctly identifies the sounds for 18-20 out of 26 letters, hesitating on some less common ones (x, q, v).
Saying a sound for each letter in the alphabet confidently and quickly, and knowing at least some letter groups that represent one sound (digraphs).
Example task
Rapid letter sound recognition: show all 26 letters in random order plus 5 common digraphs (sh, ch, th, ng, ai).
Model response: The child says all 26 letter sounds correctly and without hesitation. They also identify sh ('shh'), ch ('ch'), th ('th'), and at least 2-3 other digraphs.
Delivery rationale
EYFS concept for 4-5 year olds — AI can deliver structured activities via voice/touch but adult facilitates physical tasks and monitors engagement.
Digraph Awareness
knowledge AI FacilitatedLIT-R-C005
Knowledge that two letters can work together to represent a single phoneme (a digraph), and the ability to identify and produce the phoneme for at least 10 digraphs. Common digraphs taught at Reception include consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, ng, qu) and vowel digraphs (ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air). Digraph awareness extends letter-sound knowledge by establishing the principle that phoneme-grapheme correspondence is not always one-to-one, and that readers must sometimes consider two-letter combinations as a single unit when decoding.
Teaching guidance
Introduce digraphs after pupils have a secure grasp of single-letter sounds. Use the same multi-sensory teaching approach as for single letters. Emphasise that a digraph is 'two letters, one sound'. Use reading and writing activities that include known digraphs. Provide plenty of practice distinguishing digraphs from adjacent single letters (e.g., 'ship' — sh is one sound, not s + h).
Common misconceptions
Children often try to sound out each letter of a digraph individually (reading 'ship' as s-h-i-p rather than sh-i-p). Consistent use of digraph flashcards and explicit teaching that the two letters make one sound helps. Some children confuse consonant digraphs (sh, ch) with adjacent consonants in clusters (st, str).
Difficulty levels
Beginning to recognise that some pairs of letters work together to make one sound, even if they can only identify 1-2 digraphs.
Example task
Show the child 'sh' and 'ch'. 'These two letters work together. Can you tell me the sound they make?'
Model response: The child says 'shhh' for 'sh' and 'ch' for 'ch'. They understand the concept that two letters make one sound.
Sometimes recognising and producing the sounds for common digraphs (sh, ch, th, ng, ai, ee, oo, ar) with growing reliability.
Example task
Read these words using your digraph knowledge: ship, chin, feet, moon, park.
Model response: The child reads: 'sh-i-p — ship', 'ch-i-n — chin', 'f-ee-t — feet', 'm-oo-n — moon', 'p-ar-k — park'. They recognise the digraphs within words.
Recognising and using at least 10 digraphs confidently when reading and writing, applying them to decode unfamiliar words.
Example task
Read these unfamiliar words using your digraph knowledge: sheet, chain, tooth, bring, light.
Model response: The child reads: 'sh-ee-t — sheet', 'ch-ai-n — chain', 't-oo-th — tooth', 'b-r-i-ng — bring', 'l-igh-t — light'. They identify digraphs (and trigraphs like 'igh') within words they haven't seen before.
Delivery rationale
EYFS concept for 4-5 year olds — AI can deliver structured activities via voice/touch but adult facilitates physical tasks and monitors engagement.
Phonemic Blending for Reading
Keystone skill AI FacilitatedLIT-R-C006
The ability to blend individual phonemes together in sequence to produce a recognisable spoken word, thereby decoding a written word. Blending is the core synthetic phonics reading skill: the reader identifies each grapheme in a word, recalls its corresponding phoneme, and runs the phonemes together to reconstruct the word. At Reception, blending is applied to words consistent with the child's current phonic knowledge — typically CVC words first, then CCVC, CVCC, and words containing digraphs. Automatic, fluent blending is the target: initially blending is laboured and segmented; with practice it becomes smooth and rapid.
Teaching guidance
Teach blending as a skill in its own right, not just as a by-product of reading. Use the 'robot talk' strategy (say the sounds robotically, then push them together). Start with onset-rime blending before phoneme-by-phoneme blending. Use pure phoneme sounds (no 'uh' after consonants). Build from short, CVC words to longer words as confidence grows. Ensure word reading practice follows directly from phonics teaching so children can apply new GPCs immediately.
Common misconceptions
Children often add a vowel sound ('uh') after consonants, making blending impossible (e.g., 'buh-a-tuh' instead of 'b-a-t'). They may sound out each phoneme correctly but fail to blend them into a word. Some children can blend in isolation but not when reading connected text. Separating the skill practice (word cards) from whole-text reading until blending is automatic can help.
Difficulty levels
Beginning to blend two or three phonemes together orally to make a word, with adult support sounding out each phoneme slowly.
Example task
Adult says the sounds slowly: 's — a — t'. 'Can you push the sounds together to make a word?'
Model response: The child says: 's...a...t... sat!' — blending after a pause, possibly needing the adult to repeat the sounds.
Sometimes blending sounds in CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) independently to read simple words in print.
Example task
Read these words by sounding out and blending: cat, dog, pen, big, sun.
Model response: The child points to each letter, says the sound, then blends: 'c-a-t... cat!', 'd-o-g... dog!'. They manage most CVC words but may struggle when the vowel sound is less familiar.
Reading words by blending sounds with fluency, including words with digraphs and adjacent consonants (CCVC, CVCC), demonstrating secure phonemic blending.
Example task
Read these words: ship, train, jump, clap, fish, green, chest.
Model response: The child reads fluently: 'ship' (recognising sh digraph), 'train' (blending consonant cluster tr and digraph ai), 'jump', 'clap' (managing consonant clusters), 'fish', 'green', 'chest'. Blending is smooth and automatic for most words.
Delivery rationale
EYFS concept for 4-5 year olds — AI can deliver structured activities via voice/touch but adult facilitates physical tasks and monitors engagement.
Common Exception Word Recognition
knowledge AI FacilitatedLIT-R-C007
The ability to read common exception words (also called tricky words or sight words) that cannot be fully decoded using current phonic knowledge. Exception words include high-frequency words that contain phonically irregular or as-yet-untaught correspondences: 'the', 'said', 'was', 'I', 'to', 'do', 'are', 'come', 'some', 'one', 'have', 'like', 'little', 'there'. Reading these words accurately requires partial decoding combined with sight recognition. By the end of Reception, children should recognise the exception words taught in their phonics programme from memory.
Teaching guidance
Teach exception words explicitly after introducing them in context. Use flashcard practice for rapid retrieval. Explain which part of the word is 'tricky' (cannot be decoded phonically) and which part can be sounded out. Use mnemonics where helpful ('said' = Sally and Ian drove). Ensure exception words appear in decodable reading books so children practice reading them in context. Revisit regularly — exception word recall requires overlearning.
Common misconceptions
Children may attempt to decode exception words phonically and produce plausible but incorrect attempts ('woz' for 'was'). While this shows good phonics knowledge, they need to learn to recognise the conventionally spelled form. Some children memorise exception words in list form but fail to recognise them in running text.
Difficulty levels
Beginning to recognise 2-3 common exception words by sight (I, the, to, no, go) without needing to decode them.
Example task
Show the child the words 'I', 'the' and 'to' in a sentence. Can they read them?
Model response: The child recognises 'I' and 'the' instantly. They attempt to decode 'to' phonically as 't-o' but then correct themselves: 'Oh, that's to!'
Sometimes reading common exception words automatically in context, with a growing bank of 10-15 sight words.
Example task
Read this sentence: 'The dog was in the garden and he said hello.'
Model response: The child reads the sentence, recognising 'the', 'was', 'in', 'and', 'he', 'said' as sight words and decoding 'dog', 'garden' and 'hello' phonically.
Reading most common exception words automatically, enabling fluent reading of simple sentences and short texts.
Example task
Read this short passage fluently: 'Once there was a boy who could not find his shoes. He looked under the bed and behind the door. They were in the garden!'
Model response: The child reads the passage fluently, recognising exception words (once, there, was, who, could, not, his, he, the, behind, were) automatically and decoding other words smoothly. Reading sounds like natural speech rather than word-by-word.
Delivery rationale
EYFS concept for 4-5 year olds — AI can deliver structured activities via voice/touch but adult facilitates physical tasks and monitors engagement.