Phonemes:
the sounds that make up our words

Want to make sure you are pronouncing the sounds precisely? Follow the links below to hear recordings of the exact sound that should correspond to each symbol, letter, or letter combination in Once's instructional content.
‍
In each circle below, you'll see two cards with symbols on them. The symbols on the left (held by the snake) are what students will see at that stage of the curriculum. The symbols on the right (on an easel) are the symbols that the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) uses to represent that sound.
‍
In the early stages of Once’s instructional content, we represent sounds with symbols in a specialized orthography that helps beginning readers (pre-kindergarten students through early elementary grades) learn letter-sound correspondence more quickly. By the middle stages of our program, the specialized orthography is phased out and replaced by letters in a serif font.

Our program teaches letters in the order below to enable students to read many words as soon as possible, not waiting until students have learned all of the letters and sounds before getting to read authentic texts. This builds a strong foundation for independent and fluent reading. It is not a problem if your school uses a curriculum that is also based on the Science of Reading but introduces letters in a slightly different order.

Recordings of Each Sound

This sound is /ă/, as in the word 'trap.'

This sound is /m/, as in the word 'mine.'

This sound is /t/, as in the word ‘tie.'

This sound is /ē/, as in the word ‘fleece.'

This sound is /s/, as in the word ‘sigh.'

This sound is /ĭ/, as in the word ‘kit.'

This sound is /f/, as in the word ‘find.'

This sound is /d/, as in the word ‘dash.'

This sound is /r/, as in the word 'risk.'

This sound is /th/, as in the word 'that.'

This sound is /ŏ/, as in the word 'lot.'

This sound is /g/, as in the word 'guy.'

This sound is /l/, as in the word 'lie.'

This sound is /h/, as in the word 'high.'

This sound is /ŭ/, as in the word 'strut.'

This sound is /k/, as in the word 'car.'

This sound is /b/, as in the word 'bug.'

This sound is /n/, as in the word 'never.'

This sound is /sh/, as in the word 'shy.'

This word is /ī/, as in the sentence, ‘I went to the store.’

This sound is /ā/, as in the word 'face.'

This sound is /k/, as in the word 'kind.'

This sound is /v/, as in the word 'vine.'

This sound is /ō/, as in the word 'goat.'

This sound is /w/, as in the word 'wave.'

This sound is /ch/, as in the word 'cheer.'

This sound is /ŏr/, as in the word 'car.'

This sound is /ər/, as in the word 'letter.'

This sound is /ĕ/, as in the word 'dress.'

This sound is /j/, as in the word 'jump.'

This sound is /p/, as in the word 'pack.'

This sound is /ī/, as in the word 'price.'

This sound is /ĭŋ/, as in the word 'sing.'

This sound is /y/, as in the word 'yes.'

This sound is /ks/, as in the word 'expect.'

This sound is /kw/, as in the word 'quick.'

This sound is /z/, as in the word 'zebra.'

This sound is /ū/, as in the word 'use.'

This sound is /ē/, as in the word 'keep.'

This sound is /ē/, as in the word 'each.'

This sound is /ē/, as in the word 'company.'

This sound is /ē/, as in the word 'money.'

This sound is /ā/, as in the word 'pain.'

This sound is /ā/, as in the word 'ray.'

This sound is /ōr/, as in the word 'chore.'

This sound is /w/, as in the word 'when.'

This sound is /ăʊ/, as in the word 'round.'

This sound is /ər/, as in the word 'bird.'

This sound is /ər/, as in the word 'nurse.'

This sound is /ōl/, as in the word 'fold.'

This sound is /ī/, as in the word 'fight.'

This sound is /ŏ/, as in the word 'author.'

This sound is /ŏ/, as in the word 'awkward.'

This sound is /ŏl/, as in the word 'alright.'

This sound is /ꝏ/, as in the word 'cool.'

This sound is /f/, as in the word 'photo.'

This sound is /ō/, as in the word 'boat.'

This sound is /ō/, as in the word 'snow.'

This sound is /r/, as in the word 'write.'

This sound is /ōē/, as in the word 'joy.'

This sound is /ōē/, as in the word 'choice.'

This sound is /n/, as in the word 'knight.'

This sound is /ꝏ/, as in the word 'blue.'

This sound is /ꝏ/, as in the word 'crew.'

FAQ

What is a phoneme?

A phoneme is a sound that can distinguish one word from another. For example, /t/ and /d/ are phonemes that account for the difference between the sound of the words 'tall' and 'doll.'

In what order does Once introduce the phonemes?

Once introduces the phonemes in the order listed above. The first phoneme we introduce is the left-most phoneme in the first row. The next one we introduce is immediately to the right of it.

Why are phonemes introduced in that order?

Our sequence is designed to enable students to read many words as soon as possible, not waiting until students have learned all of the letters and sounds before getting to read authentic texts. This builds a strong foundation for independent and fluent reading. It is not a problem if your school uses a curriculum that is also based on the Science of Reading but introduces letters in a slightly different order. Most programs that are rooted in the Science of Reading introduce phonemes in a similar order based on nearly five decades of research into the most effective ways to teach reading.

What will happen if the core curriculum in a classroom introduces phonemes in a slightly different order?

If a child learns a phoneme in Once before the child learns the phoneme in the classroom's core curriculum, the student will move faster when the phoneme is introduced in the classroom. If a child learns a phoneme in the classroom's core curriculum before learning it in Once, the child will move faster in Once. In this way, the classroom's core curriculum and Once—as a supplemental program—can augment each other.

Our district focuses on authentic reading, not phonemes. Does Once conflict with this?

Once's approach (based on the Science of Reading) will be a great support for students in classrooms that do not focus on systematic phonics instruction in their core curriculum. Once also incorporates authentic texts into every lesson. We teach children to make meaning from what they read, not just to pronounce sounds on a page.

Can I play these recordings of the phonemes even if I'm not currently a Once customer?

Once makes these descriptions and recordings of the phonemes freely available as a resource for teachers, parents, and students everywhere.

Why do you show two different symbols to describe each phoneme?

In each circle above, you'll see two cards with symbols on them. The symbols on the left (held by the snake) are what students will see at that stage of the curriculum. The symbols on the right (on an easel) are the symbols that the International Phonetic Alphab (IPA) uses to represent that sound. In the early stages of Once’s instructional content, we represent sounds with symbols in a specialized orthography that helps beginning readers (pre-kindergarten students through early elementary grades) learn letter-sound correspondence more quickly. By the middle stages of our program, the specialized orthography is phased out and replaced by letters in a serif font.

If a child learns all of the phonemes, will the child be able to read fluently?

Phonemes are an important building block for learning how to read, but students will also need to master phonemic-awareness skills like blending, segmenting, and rhyming in order to learn how to combine phonemes into words. They will also need to develop their understanding of syntax, punctuation, and concepts of print. And they will need to build their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Once addresses all of these aspects of reading.

I love this approach to learning phonemes. How can I find out more about Once?

Please get in touch by clicking 'Contact us' in the top-right corner of this page!

Phonemes: the sounds that make up our words