Visual Lesson
Blending & Segmenting
Hear each sound, then slide them together into a word — the heart of learning to read.
Tap a letter to hear its sound. Press play to blend the whole word.
What is blending and segmenting?
Segmenting is breaking a word into its separate sounds (its phonemes); blending is pushing those sounds back together to read the word. They are the two halves of decoding — the single most important skill in early reading.
How to use this tool
- Play — each letter lights up and says its sound in turn, then the whole word is spoken as its picture appears.
- Tap a letter — hear just that sound, as many times as you like.
- Word type — start with short (CVC) words, then move on to blends and digraphs like sh, ee, and ck.
- Speed — slow the sounds down for a new reader, or speed up to blend smoothly.
Why it helps
Seeing each sound as its own tile — then watching them slide together — makes the “secret” of reading visible. Slow the pace down, let your child say each sound, then blend it faster and faster until the word just pops out.
Good for
Preschool and kindergarten sound work through first- and second-grade decoding.
Bring it to a lesson
These tools pair with the full curriculum — guided lessons that teach each concept, then send you here to see it and practice.