Phonics Game for Kids: Phonics Sounds
Phonics Sounds is a free phonics game that helps young children link sounds to letters and blend them into words.
Phonics Sounds
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- Ages
- 4–7
- School years
- Junior Infants–2nd Class
- Skills
- Hearing the first sound in a word, Matching letters to their sounds, Blending consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words
- Curriculum
- Primary Curriculum
- Time
- 2–5 minutes a round
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
- Updated
How to play Phonics Sounds
- Choose a level: beginning sounds, blending (CVC), sh, ch, th and ck, or magic e. Turn your sound on to hear each word.
- Beginning sounds: look at the picture, listen to the word, and pick the letter it starts with.
- Blending: say each letter sound, blend them together, and tap the matching picture. In the sh, ch, th, ck level, find the missing sound or the word with that sound.
- Magic e: add an e to the end of a word and hear the vowel say its name, as in cap and cape.
What your child learns
- Hearing the first sound in a word
- Matching letters to their sounds
- Blending consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words
- Reading the digraphs sh, ch, th and ck
- Long vowel sounds with a silent (magic) e
- Early reading and spelling confidence
About Phonics Sounds
Phonics teaches children that letters stand for sounds, and that sounds can be blended together to read words. It is how most children learn to read in their first years of school. Hearing the first sound in a word comes first, then blending simple three-letter words like cat and dog, then two letters that make one sound, such as sh and ch.
Phonics Sounds reads every word aloud (when your device supports speech) and says the word again after each answer, so children hear the sounds blend together. Pictures were chosen to have one clear name, and every wrong answer shows the right one, so children can keep learning as they play.
Which level should my child play?
| School year | Suggested level |
|---|---|
| Junior Infants | Beginning sounds |
| Senior Infants | Blending (CVC) |
| 1st Class | sh, ch, th, ck |
| 2nd Class | Magic e |
Move up a level after getting three stars two or three times in a row.
🏆 Leaderboard
Full leaderboard →Play a round to get on the board! Create a free account to save your scores.
🇮🇪 Primary Curriculum links
Find games by class →- Junior Infants · Stage 1 · Reading: Phonological and phonemic awareness: Hearing the sounds in spoken words, including rhyme and beginning sounds.
- Senior Infants · Stage 1 · Reading: Phonics, word recognition and word study: Blending letter sounds to read simple words, and recognising common high-frequency words.
- 1st Class · Stage 2 · Reading: Phonics, word recognition and word study: Reading words with common digraphs such as sh, ch and th, and building a bank of sight words.
- 2nd Class · Stage 2 · Reading: Phonics, word recognition and word study: Reading words with the magic e (split digraph) pattern, prefixes and familiar word parts.
Strands and strand units summarised from the Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and the Primary Language Curriculum, published by the NCCA for the Department of Education (curriculumonline.ie). Both curricula set learning outcomes for two-year stages, so the class shown is our suggested starting point. Game alignment by Success Tutoring; not endorsed by the NCCA or the Department of Education.
🖨️ Printable worksheets
Practise away from the screen too: free worksheets with answer keys that match this game.
🎯 Practise one skill
Jump straight to a level, with tricks, examples and a printable worksheet for each skill.
Frequently asked questions
What age is this phonics game for?
It suits children aged about 4 to 7. Start with beginning sounds, then move on to blending, digraphs and magic e as your child grows in confidence.
What is a CVC word?
A CVC word has three letters: a consonant, a vowel and a consonant, such as cat, pig and sun. They are usually the first words children learn to blend and read.
What is a digraph?
A digraph is two letters that make one sound, like sh in ship, ch in chair, th in three and ck in duck.
What does magic e do?
A silent e at the end of a word makes the vowel before it say its name, so cap becomes cape, kit becomes kite and hop becomes hope.
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Practice at home is a great start. Success Tutoring offers personalised tutoring to build skills and confidence.