- Define and explain Tricky Words in your own words
- Use key terms such as phoneme accurately
- Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
- Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic
This lesson focuses on Tricky Words: recognise common words that break the rules, like said and the.
Recognise common words that break the rules, like said and the.
Key ideas
Some words break the rules
Many common words cannot be sounded out, such as said, was and the. These tricky words need to be learned by sight, and practising them little and often works best.
Sounds before letter names
Always learn the sound a letter makes, not its name. The letter s says sss, not ess. Sounds can be pushed together into words; letter names get in the way of blending.
Key term — phoneme: The smallest unit of sound in a word. The word cat has three phonemes: c, a and t.
Is the a tricky word?
Yes — the does not follow the normal rules, so it must be learned by sight.
Answer: Yes — the does not follow the normal rules, so it must be learned by sight.
- Saying letter names instead of sounds Say sss, a, t — not ess, ay, tee. Letter names cannot be blended into words.
- Guessing from the first letter Always read every sound in the word. Guessing from the first letter causes mistakes like reading horse as house.
Practice
3 — the letters sh make one sound.
sun.
p-i-n.
Two letters that make one sound.
Quick check
Which of these best defines "phoneme"?
- Tricky Words: recognise common words that break the rules, like said and the.
- Some words break the rules: Many common words cannot be sounded out, such as said, was and the.
- grapheme: The letter or letters that spell a sound.
- Watch out for: saying letter names instead of sounds