Page 1 of 4
The last sound
- sun
Say sun. Hold the end. Sunnnn.
You are still saying /n/.
/n/ is the last sound.
Get Ready
Catch the very last sound in a word.
Learn It
Page 2 of 4
The end is easy to miss
- fish
Say fish. Keep going to the end.
The last sound is /sh/.
Listen all the way to the end.
Page 3 of 4
Chop off the front
- mug
- ug
- g
Say mug. Now drop the /m/. Ug.
Drop the u too.
What is left is /g/, the last sound.
Page 4 of 4
Write the end too
- pig
When you write pig, hear every sound.
The g at the end counts too.
Do not let the end fall off!
Your Turn
Answer each question in the yellow box.
Question 1 of 7
What is the last sound in dog?
Question 2 of 7
Ana writes ca for cat. What did she miss?
Question 3 of 7
What is the last sound in map?
Question 4 of 7
What is the last sound in fan?
Question 5 of 7
Ben writes bu for bus. What did he miss?
Question 6 of 7
Which word ends with /t/?
Question 7 of 7
What is the last sound in hat?
What You Learned
- The last sound is the very end.
- It is easy to miss.
- Say the word. Hold the end.
- When you write, write the end too.
For the grown-up
The last sound is harder to isolate than the first: attention is highest at the start of a word and has moved on by the end. Holding a continuous final sound (sunnn) or chopping off the front (mug, ug, g) both help.
Dropping the final sound is the most common early spelling slip (ca for cat). Middle sounds are harder still, and come in the next chapter.