Give the chart a second or two to appear – it’s a big chart and there are lots of small files to load…
Hover over any cell on the chart. A loudspeaker icon will appear. Click the icon for an audio demonstration of the sound/phoneme. Scroll to the bottom of the chart for an explanation of the colour coding used.
NOTE: No Alphabetic Code Chart linking sounds to their many spelling alternatives can be entirely definitive as accents must always be taken into account. Some sounds of speech can be very difficult to reproduce accurately as individual or separate sounds – and some sounds may be effective, or acceptable, when said in a ‘stylised’ way through necessity. To see our ‘classroom-sized’ display charts of the English Alphabetic Code, click HERE.
|
Units of Sound Phoneme/s |
Graphemes (letters or letter groups) that are code for the sounds | |||||
| Simple Code | Complex Code | |||||
| /s/ |
s
snake
|
-ce
palace
|
ce
cents
|
ci
city
|
cy
bicycle
|
sc e i y
scissors
PI Unit 7
|
-ss
glass
|
-se
house
|
-st-
castle
PI Unit 8
|
ps
pseudonym
PI Unit 12
|
|
||
| /a/ |
a
apple
|
|
|
|
|
|
| /t/ |
t
teddy
|
-tt
letter
|
-ed
ripped
PI Unit 4
|
-bt
debt
|
pt
pterodactyl
|
|
| /i/ |
i
insect
|
-y
cymbals
PI Unit 9
|
|
|
|
|
| /p/ |
p
pan
|
-pp
puppet
|
|
|
|
|
| /n/ |
n
net
|
-nn
bonnet
|
kn
knot
PI Unit 7
|
gn
gnome
PI Unit 8
|
-ne
engine
PI Unit 12
|
|
| /k/ |
c
cat
|
k
kit
|
-ck
duck
|
ch
chameleon
PI Unit 7
|
qu
bouquet
PI Unit 11
|
que
plaque
PI Unit 11
|
| /e/ |
e
egg
|
-ea
head
|
-ai
said again against
|
a
any many
|
|
|
| /h/ |
h
hat
|
wh
who
|
|
|
|
|
| /r/ |
r
rat
|
-rr
arrow
|
wr
write
PI Unit 7
|
rh
rhinoceros
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
| /m/ |
m
map
|
-mm
hammer
|
-me
welcome
|
-mb
thumb
PI Unit 7
|
-mn
columns
PI Unit 12
|
|
| /d/ |
d
dig
|
-dd
puddle
|
-ed
rained
PI Unit 14
|
|
|
|
| /g/ |
g
girl
|
-gg
juggle
|
gu
guitar
PI Unit 7
|
gh
gherkin
PI Unit 8
|
-gue
catalogue
PI Unit 12
|
|
| /o/ |
o
octopus
|
wa
was watch
PI Unit 8
|
qua
qualify
PI Unit 8
|
alt
salt
PI Unit 12
|
|
|
| /u/ |
u
umbrella
|
o
son
|
-ou
touch
PI Unit 8
|
-ough
thoroughfare
PI Unit 11
|
|
|
| /l/ |
l
ladder
|
-ll
shell
|
|
|
|
|
| /ul/ |
-le
kettle
|
-il
pencil
PI Unit 7
|
-al
hospital
PI Unit 7
|
-el
camel
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
| /f/ |
f
feathers
|
-ff
cliff
|
ph
photograph
PI Unit 8
|
-gh
laugh
PI Unit 8
|
|
|
| /b/ |
b
bat
|
-bb
rabbit
|
bu
building
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
|
| /j/ |
j
jug
|
-ge
cabbage
|
-dge
fridge
PI Unit 7
|
ge
gerbil
|
gi
giraffe
|
gy
gymnast
|
| /y/ |
y
yawn
|
|
|
|
|
|
| /ai/ |
ai
first aid
|
-ay
tray
|
a
table
|
a-e
cake
|
-ae
sundae
PI Unit 6
|
-aigh
straight
PI Unit 9
|
-ey
they osprey prey
PI Unit 9
|
-ea
break
PI Unit 9
|
-et
bouquet
|
eigh
eight
PI Unit 9
|
|
||
| /w/ |
w
web
|
wh
wheel
|
-u
penguin
|
|
|
|
| /oa/ |
oa
oak
|
ow
bow
|
-oe
oboe
|
o-e
rope
|
|
|
o
yo-yo
|
-ough
dough
PI Unit 10
|
-eau
plateau
PI Unit 12
|
-ou
shoulder
|
|
||
| /igh/ |
-ie
tie
|
-igh
night
|
i
behind
|
-y
fly
|
i-e
bike
|
ei
eider duck
PI Unit 9
|
| /yoo/ |
u
unicorn
|
-ue
statue
|
u-e
tube
|
ew
new
PI Unit 10
|
eu
pneumatic drill
PI Unit 10
|
|
| /ee/ |
e
emu
|
ee
eel
|
e-e
concrete
|
-ey
key
|
-ie
briefcase
PI Unit 9
|
-ine
sardines
PI Unit 12
|
ea
eat
|
Often pronounced between /i/ and /ee/ |
-y
sunny
|
-ey
monkey
PI Unit 9
|
-ie
movie
PI Unit 9
|
||
|
/or/ or similar sound |
or
fork
PI Unit 7
|
ore
snore
PI Unit 7
|
-our
four
PI Unit 7
|
-oor
door
PI Unit 7
|
oar
oars
PI Unit 8
|
war
wardrobe
|
aw
dawn
PI Unit 7
|
au
sauce
PI Unit 7
|
-al
chalk
PI Unit 7
|
augh
caught
PI Unit 11
|
ough
thought
PI Unit 11
|
quar
quarter
PI Unit 11
|
|
| /z/ |
z
zebra
|
-zz
jazz
|
-s
fries
|
-se
cheese
|
-ze
breeze
|
|
| /ng/ |
-ng
gong
|
-n
jungle
PI Unit 12
|
|
|
|
|
| /ngk/ |
-nk
ink
|
-nc
uncle
|
|
|
|
|
| /v/ |
v
violin
|
-ve
dove
|
|
|
|
|
|
/oo/ short |
-oo
book
|
-oul
would could should
|
-u
put push pull
|
|
|
|
|
/oo/ long |
oo
moon
|
-ue
blue
|
u-e
flute
|
u
superb pearl
|
-ui
fruit
PI Unit 10
|
-ew
crew
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
-ou
soup
PI Unit 10
|
-o
move
PI Unit 10
|
-ough
through
PI Unit 11
|
|
||
| /ks/ |
-x
fox
|
-ks
books
plural
|
-cks
ducks
plural
|
-kes
cakes
plural
|
|
|
| /gz/ |
-x
exam
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
|
|
|
| /ch/ |
ch
chair
|
-tch
patch
PI Unit 7
|
|
|
|
|
|
/chuh/ or / cher/ |
-ture
picture
PI Unit 12
|
|
|
|
|
|
| /sh/ |
sh
sheep
|
ch
chef
PI Unit 8
|
-ti
station
PI Unit 8
|
-ci
musician
PI Unit 8
|
-ssi
admission
PI Unit 8
|
|
|
/th/ unvoiced |
th
thistle
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/th/ voiced |
th
over there
|
|
|
|
|
|
| /kw/ |
qu
queen
|
kw
awkward
|
|
|
|
|
| /ou/ |
ou
ouch
|
ow
owl
|
-ough
plough
PI Unit 11
|
|
|
|
| /oi/ |
oi
ointment
|
oy
toy
|
|
|
|
|
| /er/ |
er
herbs
|
ir
birthday
|
ur
nurse
|
ear
earth
|
wor
world
|
|
|
/uh/ schwa |
-er
mixer
|
-our
humour
|
-re
theatre
PI Unit 6 & 12
|
-ar
collar
|
-or
sailor
|
a
lava
|
| /ar/ |
ar
artist
|
a
father
|
alm
palm
PI Unit 12
|
-alf
half
PI Unit 12
|
-alves
(calf) calves
PI Unit 12
|
|
| /air/ |
air
hair
|
-are
square
|
-ear
bear
|
-ere
where
|
|
|
| /eer/ |
eer
deer
|
ear
ears
|
-ere
adhere
|
-ier
cashier
|
|
|
| /zh/ |
-si
television
PI Unit 8
|
-s
treasure
PI Unit 8
|
-ge
collage
PI Unit 8
|
-z
azure
PI Unit 8
|
g
courgette
PI Unit 8
|
|