(alternative chart for USA, Canada and various regional accents)

The English Alphabetic Code

complex code

simple code
units of sound phoneme/s graphemes in key word examples

graphemes, or spelling alternatives, which are code for the sounds

/s/ /a/ /t/ /i/

s
snake apple

glass

-ss -ce -se ce ci cy sc -stpalace house cents city bicycle scissors castle

a -alf -alv
half calves

/s/
debt
pterodactyl

pseudonym

ps

tent

t i

letter

-tt -ed -bt pt

skipped

-y
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

insect cymbals

/p/ /n/ /k/ /e/ /h/

p -pp
pan puppet net

n -nn kn gn -ine
bonnet knot gnome engine

k
kit egg

c
cat head

-ck ch qu que
duck
chameleon

bouquet plaque

e -ea -ai
said again

h wh
hat who
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/r/ /d/ /g/ /o/

r
rat map

-rr wr rh
arrow write
rhinoceros

/m/ m -mm -mb -mn -me

hammer thumb column welcome

dig

d -dd -ed
puddle juggle

rained

girl

g -gg gu gh -gue
guitar ghost vogue qualify salt

octopus watch

o wa qua alt
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/u/ /l/ /f/ /b/

u
umbrella

-o -ou
son touch

l
ladder kettle

-ll
shell pencil hospital camel

/ul/ -le -il -al -el f

feathers bat cliff photo

-ff ph -gh
laugh rabbit building

b -bb bu
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/j/ /y/

j
jug

cabbage

-ge ge gi gy -dge
gerbil giraffe gymnast

fridge

y
yawn aid tray table

/ai/ ai ay
web

a -ae a-e -ey eigh -ea

sundae cakes prey eight break

/w/ w wh -u
wheel penguin

/ai/
oboe rope dough

-aigh
straight plateau

/oa/ oa ow
oak bow

o -oe o-e -ough -eau

yo-yo
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/igh/ -igh -ie

night tie

i
behind

-y i-e
shy * bike * sunny concrete

ei eye
eider eye chief sardines *monkey *movie key

/ee/ ee ea
eel eat fork oars

e
emu door

-y e-e -ey -ie -ine

four
wardrobe

/or/ or oar -oor ore -our war quar

snore quarter

/aw/ aw au -al
dawn sauce

augh ough

chalk caught thought

/z/

z
zebra

-zz -s -se -ze

jazz fries cheese breeze
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/ng/ -ng -n
gong jungle

/ngk/

-nk -nc
ink uncle
long

/v/
short

v -ve
violin dove

-ough oo -oul /oo/ /oo/ book should through oo -ue u-e -ew -ui -ou -o eu /oo/
long

moon

blue

flute

crew

fruit

soup

move

pneumatic

/ks/ -x -ks -cks -kes

fox books ducks cakes
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/gz/ -x -gs
exam pegs

/ch/ ch -tch
chairs patch

/cher/

-ture
picture

/sh/ sh ch -ti -ci -ssi

sheep
unvoiced

chef

station

magician admission

th /th/ thistle th /th/

voiced

there

/kw/ qu
queen
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/ou/ ou ow
ouch owl

-ough
plough

/oi/ oi oy
ointment

toy

/yoo/ -ue u
barbecue

unicorn

/er/ er /ar/ ar
artist

ir

mermaid birthday

nurse

ur ear wor
earth world

Canada:

-our -re
humour theatre humor theater

USA:

-or -er

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/air/ air -are -ear -ere

hair hare bear where

This chart is not definitive. You may discover further code add this to the chart and/or main display wall. Hollow letters alert the reader to various possible pronunciations.

/eer/ eer ear -ere -ier

deer ears adhere cashier

/zh/ -si

-s

-z
azure

-g -ge
courgette

television treasure

collage

*-y, *-ey, *-ie as word endings are often pronounced between /i/ and /ee/. On this chart they appear in the /ee/ row.
The complexities of the English Alphabetic Code include: 1. one sound (phoneme) can be represented by one, two, three or four letters: e.g. /k/ k, /f/ ph, /igh/ igh, /ai/ eigh 2. one sound can be represented by different spellings (graphemes): e.g. /oa/ is represented by o, oa, ow, oe, o-e, eau, ough 3. one spelling can represent multiple sounds: e.g. ough: /oa/ though, /aw/ thought, /oo/ through, /ou/ plough
Key to the 12 units of Debbie Hepplewhites Phonics International online synthetic phonics programme: units1-5 Simple code with some spelling alternatives 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6-12 /air/, /eer/, /zh/, split digraphs, complex code 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

11th

12th

Debbies programme introduces a simple code of at least one letter/s-sound correspondence for each of the 44+ sounds of speech of the English language. The programme then expands to teach further spelling and pronunciation variations of the complex Alphabetic Code (all within 12 units of resources).

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008