Letter Sound Correspondence Worksheets

Letter sound correspondence refers to the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. Letter sound correspondence is, without a doubt, an essential part of developing literacy skills. Through alphabet study and phonemic awareness, readers can make connections between what letters look like and how they sound. As readers grow into mature learners, they can later understand how a letter’s placement or a word’s origin can shift letter sound correspondence. Below, you’ll find printable letter sound correspondence worksheets for practicing these skills!

Understanding letter sound correspondence empowers children to recognize and pronounce words accurately. By recognizing that the letter ‘m’ makes the /m/ sound or that ‘s’ says /s/, readers and writers can understand how these letters sound on their own, as in “man” or “sun.” Furthermore, eventually this allows them to comprehend how those same letters and sounds work together in words that have blends, as in “smell” and “smock.” 

Through a variety of engaging hands-on tasks, early readers can begin to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. Begin with dedicated practice to learning the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds. It is typical to start instruction based on a letter’s frequency of appearance in the English language. This includes: 

a, m, t, p, o, n, c, d, u, s, g, h, i, f, b, l, e, r, w, k, x, v, y, z, j, q 

By introducing letter sound correspondence through fun, visually-stimulating, engaging, and interactive learning experiences, young readers will develop strong, foundational literacy skills and confidence in their reading abilities. Some of our favorite lessons include “Say It” / “Match It,” exercises. These types of learning experiences engage multiple senses and are great for visual learners. 

As with any skill, it’s important to practice patience, provide encouragement, plan for mindful learning, and make time for fun.