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The first sound
- mop
Say mop slowly. Mmm-op.
Stop after the start. /m/!
That is the first sound.
Get Ready
Catch the very first sound in a word.
Words to know
- mopA stick with a soft end for washing floors.
Learn It
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Listen to the start
/m/as in mug/op/as in mopmopthe whole word
| First sound | /m/, written m |
|---|---|
| Ending | /op/, written op |
| Blended | mop |
| Is it a word? | A word you know |
| Words you know ending in op | mop, cop, hop, pop |
Say it slowly: /m/ … /op/ … mop. Then say it fast. That is blending — the sounds do not change, you just stop leaving a gap between them. Keep the op ending and change the first sound, and you get mop, cop, hop, pop. One ending, lots of words.
Press the first sound. Hear /m/.
Then hear the end. Then the word.
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Some sounds stretch
- sun
- mop
/s/ can go on and on. Sssss.
/m/ stretches too. Mmmmm.
Stretchy sounds are easy to catch.
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Some sounds are quick
- dog
- top
/d/ and /t/ stop fast.
You cannot hold them.
Listen fast for these!
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The sound, not the name
- cat
This letter is called "see".
But cat starts with /k/.
Say the sound, not the name.
Your Turn
Answer each question in the yellow box.
Question 1 of 7
What is the first sound in moon?
Question 2 of 7
Does cat start with the sound "see"?
Question 3 of 7
What is the first sound in fish?
Question 4 of 7
Which sound can you hold a long time?
Question 5 of 7
Do pig and pot start the same?
Question 6 of 7
Which word starts with /b/?
Question 7 of 7
What is the first sound in leg?
What You Learned
- The first sound is the very start.
- Stretchy sounds like /m/ are easy to catch.
- Quick sounds like /t/ need fast ears.
- Say the sound, not the letter name.
For the grown-up
Isolating the first sound (phoneme) is the step after onset and rime. Continuous sounds (/m/, /s/, /f/, /l/, /n/, /r/) can be held, so start with them; stop sounds (/p/, /t/, /b/, /d/, /k/, /g/) are over at once and need quicker listening.
/b/ and /p/, /d/ and /t/ are made the same way in the mouth; the difference is voice. A hand on the throat feels /b/ buzz and /p/ not.