11 Lesson 3 Words, Syllables, Sounds, & Letters 4. When we write words, we are using letters.
The letter s is pronounced “es” if you are saying the alphabet (a, b, c, d, …. r, s, t, etc.). But it is pronounced differently in the four words on the previous page.
Ensure you understand the difference as follows: you're using sounds speaking? Are you.. writing? you're using letters DIFFERENT!
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. Say the alphabet and notice how each letter is pronounced.
Listen
But there are more than 40 different sounds used in English. This means there is not a one-to-one correspondence of letter to sound.
Read the following words and notice how English spelling can be confusing.
Same Letters→ Different Sounds Different Letters→ Same Sound sorry – sugar where – whole eat - great