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The word 'cat' has three phonemes.

Spelling: Phonemes

Phonemes are the sounds we hear in words. This KS2 English quiz helps pupils match spoken sounds with the letters that represent them.

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Fascinating Fact:

The “oo” in “book” and “moon” looks the same but sounds different, proving phonemes have personalities.

In KS2 English, pupils learn that a phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word. English words are made up of many phonemes, such as the “ch” in chair or the “sh” in ship. Recognising and writing phonemes correctly helps improve spelling and reading skills.

Key Terms

Phoneme: The smallest unit of sound that makes up a word.
Grapheme: The written letter or letters that represent a phoneme.
Blending: Combining sounds together to read a full word.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a phoneme in English?

A phoneme is a single sound in a word. For example, the word cat has three phonemes: c, a, and t.

How many phonemes are in the English language?

There are about forty-four phonemes in English, which can be written in over a hundred ways using different letter combinations.

Why are phonemes important for spelling?

Phonemes help pupils understand how spoken sounds link to written letters. This makes reading and spelling words much easier.

Try These Related Quizzes

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1 .

Which of these words shares the 's' sound heard in 'super'?

Potion

Mice

Cries

'Potion' and 'share' make a 'sh' sound, while the 's' in 'cries' makes a 'z' sound.

2 .

Which of these words shares the 'i' sound heard in 'fin'?

Final

Fright

Type

Trip

The 'i' in final and fright sounds like the word 'eye'.

3 .

Which of these words shares the 'b' sound heard in 'bird'?

Land

Comb

Robber

Crumb

Although you can see the letter 'b' in 'comb' and 'crumb', you can't hear it!

4 .

Which one of these words shares the 'j' sound heard in 'jelly'?

Gum

Fudge

Greek

Gammon

The correct answer sounds like fuj.

5 .

Which one of these words shares the 'w' sound heard in 'winter'?

Saw

Flew

King

Queen

Although you can see the letter 'w' in 'saw' and 'flew', you do not hear it as a 'w' sound. Say the word 'queen' carefully and you will hear the 'w'.

6 .

Which of these words shares the 'e' sound heard in 'he'?

Elephant

Easy

Set

Head

The 's' in 'easy' has a 'z' sound.

7 .

Which of these words shares the 'ou' sound heard in 'mouse'?

Enough

Should

Now

Flow

The 'ou' spelling can represent many different phonemes - see the grapheme quiz for more practice.

8 .

Which one of these words shares the 'f' sound heard in 'farm'?

Plenty

Pharmacy

Oven

'Ph' is pronounced 'f', as in 'phone'. The 'f' in 'of' makes a different sound. Say it carefully and you will hear a 'v' as in 'oven'.

9 .

Which one of these words shares the 'z' sound heard in 'zoo'?

Please

X-ray

Silent

Skewer

The word 'please' sounds as if it could be written 'pleeze'!

10 .

Which one of these words shares the 'th' sound heard in 'bother'?

Theory

Weather

Thankful

Path

In these words you can hear two different sounds that the grapheme 'th' can make, but you have to listen carefully. Other languages use different spellings to show the difference between the two sounds. In Welsh, the 'th' of 'path' is spelled 'th', while the 'th' sound heard in 'weather' is spelled with a 'dd'.

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Spelling

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)