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Tricky words

Words children can’t sound out yet with the phonics they know, like the, said and was. Every tricky word from Letters and Sounds, phase by phase, with games and cards to print.

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Listen and find

Thena says a tricky word. Find it among four.

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Tricky words by phase

These are the tricky words in Letters and Sounds, the phonics programme many schools in England used and many parents still know. Tap a word to hear Thena say it.

In the US? Schools there call these sight words. See the Dolch and Fry lists.

Phase 2

Reception, autumn

Phase 3

Reception

Phase 4

Reception, summer

Phase 5

Year 1

Why some words are tricky

A tricky word has a part children can’t sound out with the sounds they’ve learned so far. In “the”, the e doesn’t make the sound they know for it; in “said”, the ai doesn’t either. So children learn the tricky part by heart and sound out the rest: s and d are just as they look.

Some words are only tricky for a while. “He”, “she” and “we” are tricky in Phase 3 because e saying “ee” comes later; once it does, they can be sounded out like any other word.

Your child’s school may group them differently. Programmes such as Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised teach tricky words in their own order, and the National Curriculum calls the ones for Year 1 and Year 2 common exception words. Ask the teacher for the list your child’s class uses.

Tricky word flash cards

Print a phase, cut out the cards and keep them by the door: read one each time you go out.

  • the
  • to
  • I
  • no
  • go
  • into

More for early readers

Reading starts with sounds.

In Thena’s lessons every sound is said clearly, and children tap, blend and read with her, at their own level.

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