Phoneme Segmenting Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RF.K.2

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

When we work to become strong writers and spellers there a couple of fundamental skills that make this challenge easier. The ability to break full words into individual sounds is a paramount skill for being able to sound out words. This skill is referred to as phoneme segmentation which literally means breaking sounds into segments or layers. People that can spell well can do this flawlessly. This is a skill that you can work on by simply practicing it regularly. It is like anything in life, spend a good amount of time doing it and you get better at it. The worksheets in this section will have students learning how to identify target sounds in words.

Phoneme Segmenting Worksheets:

X Gets The Mark - Break this one into parts. This one waits for the sound to fall out of the word.

Touch a Square - A simple letter change really throws a wretch into the system. How many sounds are in the word?

Square It Up! - We ask you how many sounds there are in words. The first one is an "L" as in "Larry".

X Gets The Square - Mark and square aren't too different. At least we try. Common stuff you will see around the house.

Extra Sounds - Spelling the sounds of words is tough. That is tape and a crown, not a king. Are there 3 or 4 sounds in the word?

Extra Boxes - What is the vowel's sound in the word? The first one is soap. Many students see the bubbles and get confused.

Color It! - Make sure to see the sound that comes from each colored box. This is not that straight forward.

Colored Boxes - Touch a box for each sound this will help you bring the word to life. There is purple, green, red, and black to choose from.

What Line Has The Sound? - Write the missing letter(s) in the yellow circle. Also note where there is a complete lack of hearing anything.

Xtra Lines - Mark all the extra lines that do not hold a sound. Write the missing letter(s) in the yellow circle.

Circ Pics - Circle the two pictures in each group that have the same number of sounds.

How Many Sounds? - Circle the two pictures in each group that have the same number of sounds.

Words Will Rhyme - Words will rhyme when they have the same vowel and ending sounds.

Vowel Endings - You will need to spend some time evaluating all the pictures. They will be clear, if you take your time. Many people speed through this and then it is a mess.

Phoneme Segmenting - Write every word that has 2, 3, or 4 sounds.

How to Develop Success with Phoneme Segmentation


One of the most common used methods by teachers to work on this skill is through the use of sound boxes. Sound boxes are usually provided either as a listening activity or a worksheet. Students are presented with an object or picture and asked to determine how many distinct sounds are in the word that the picture represents. You can take it even a step forward and have the students identify the individual sounds. You will see some sound box worksheets above that you can build your instruction off of or add as a complement.


A tried and true method that always works is to have students say words aloud and clap every time they here a unique sound in a word. This also really helps them when it is time to determine the number of syllables in words. Once students are able to successfully do this on their own they can start sounding out their own words to spell and writing becomes a much easier task for them. This is the advanced skill in phonemic awareness that comes after they are able to isolate their own sounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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