Phonics – Why are some letters different colours?

Some parents might be wondering why some of the sounds your child is learning are written in different colours.

Consonants are presented in different colours depending on what part of the mouth they are made with.

Red – consonant sounds that are red are made with the lips, for example, “m”.  Pink is used for quieter mouth sounds, like “f”.

Blue – consonant sounds that are blue are made with the tongue (blue – because of the veins on the tongue), for example, “d”.  The letter “t”, for example, is light blue because it is a softer sound.

Yellow – consonant sounds that are yellow are made at the back/roof of the mouth. Imagine you have to shine a torch to see this part of the mouth.  Some yellow letters are “h”, “c” and “k”.

Green – these are sounds made with the cheeks, like “j”, “sh” and “ch”.

“x” – is yellow shaded with blue as “x” is made from “k” – yellow + “s” – blue.

Click on the links to see a list of all letters in their corresponding colour and a picture of the mouth with the different colour parts and some of the different sounds.

Colourful Consonants Colour Coding

CC Colours

 

Vowel sounds are black because they are made with the middle of the mouth (like a dark tunnel).

(For more information on vowels – see post from 26.03.20)

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