Research shows that children learn to read and spell best when phonics is taught in a clear, step-by-step way. This method is known as synthetic phonics in the United Kingdom.

At Lingobirds Phonics Academy, we follow this proven approach. It is based on the UK’s official recommendations and has been carefully developed, thoroughly tested, and shown to help children become confident, independent readers and spellers.

What Is the Synthetic Phonics Approach?

Synthetic phonics may sound like a complicated term, but it simply means blending sounds together to read words. The word “synthetic” comes from the idea of synthesising, or putting sounds together, to form a word. This method helps children learn how to read and spell by understanding how sounds work in English.

Teaching reading and spelling through synthetic phonics has several key features:

1) Moving from Simple to More Complex

English has 26 letters, but around 44 different sounds. Many of these sounds can be spelled in more than one way.

With a synthetic phonics approach, children learn these 44 sounds in a clear, structured order — starting with the simplest and gradually moving to more complex patterns.

At the beginning, children learn that each letter of the alphabet represents a sound. For example:

Once children understand this basic idea, the learning gradually becomes more advanced. They discover that sometimes two — or even three — letters can work together to create a single new sound.

For example:

The next stage introduces a deeper level of understanding, and this is where children’s spelling skills really begin to strengthen. They learn that the same sound can be written in different ways.

For example, the /ee/ sound can be spelled in several ways:

Finally, children learn that a single letter or a group of letters can sometimes represent more than one sound, depending on the word.

For example:

2) Decoding Is the First Reading Strategy — and It Should Begin Early

As soon as children have learned around 6–8 letter sounds, they should begin blending those sounds to read simple words. Some programmes wait until all 26 letter sounds are taught, but this is not necessary. Starting earlier helps children understand the real purpose of learning sounds — to blend them together and read.

Reading involves a skill called decoding. This means breaking a word into its individual sounds and then blending those sounds together to read a new or unfamiliar word.

When decoding, children approach each word using four clear steps:

3) Spelling Is Taught Alongside Reading

Spelling is taught at the same time as reading because the two skills support each other. In fact, spelling is the reverse process of reading.

When reading, children blend sounds together to read a word. When spelling, they break a word into its individual sounds and then choose the correct letter or group of letters to represent each sound.

To spell a word successfully, children follow a clear five-step process:

4) Children Practise Using Decodable Texts

To build confidence and fluency, children practise their reading with carefully selected decodable texts. These books and passages include only the sounds and spelling patterns they have already learned, allowing them to apply their skills successfully.

For example, let’s imagine children have learned eight sounds:

The reading materials children use for practice should include only the sounds they have already been taught. This allows them to apply their knowledge confidently and independently.

Many phonics books and apps make a common mistake. They choose words that are interesting or child-friendly and contain the target sound, but they also include other sounds that children have not yet learned. This can cause confusion and reduce confidence.

For example:

The /oo/ in “moon,” the /u/ in “mud,” and the /e/ in “men” have not been taught yet (remember, the child has only learned: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d so far). It would not be fair to expect a child to read words that contain sounds they have not yet learned.

In a synthetic phonics approach, children read only words that include the sounds they already know. This means every word is fully decodable, allowing children to read successfully and build confidence.

Just imagine how many words children can already read using only these eight sounds:

At a Glance: What Synthetic Phonics Teaches Children

• That spoken words are made up of individual sounds.
• The 44 sounds of the English language.
• How to blend sounds together to read words.
• How to listen carefully for sounds in words in order to spell them.
• That each sound can be spelled in different ways. For example, the /a/ sound in “apron” can be written as: ay (pay), ai (paid), a (apron), eigh (eight), and more.
• Common irregular or high-frequency words (often called “tricky words”), which are important for improving writing quality and helping children move on to reading full sentences confidently.
• The sound of a letter first — and then the letter name.