The English Alphabetic Code

simple code

complex code

phoneme/s graphemes
with picture in key word
prompts
examples

graphemes, or spelling alternatives, which are code for the sounds

/s/

s
snake

/a/

-ss -ce -se ce ci cy sc -st-

glass

palace

house cents city bicycle scissors castle

/s/

pseudonym

apple

/t/
/i/

ps

-tt -ed -bt pt

tent

letter

-y

skipped

debt

pterodactyl

insect cymbals
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/p/

p -pp
pan

/n/
/k/
/e/

n -nn kn gn -ine

net

bonnet

-ck ch qu que

kit

cat

duck

knot

gnome engine

chameleon

bouquet plaque

e -ea -ai

egg

/h/

puppet

head

said again

h wh
hat

who

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/r/
/m/

-rr wr rh

rat

arrow

puddle

rained

g -gg gu gh -gue

girl

/o/

hammer thumb column welcome

d -dd -ed

dig

/g/

rhinoceros

m -mm -mb -mn -me

map

/d/

write

juggle

guitar

ghost

catalogue

o wa qua alt

octopus watch

qualify

salt

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/u/
/l/
/ul/
/f/

u
umbrella

son

-ll

ladder

shell

touch

thoroughfare

-le -il -al -el

kettle

pencil hospital camel

-ff ph -gh

feathers

/b/

-o -ou -ough

cliff

photo

laugh

b -bb bu
bat

rabbit building

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/j/

j
jug

/y/

-ge ge gi gy -dge
cabbage

gerbil giraffe gymnast

fridge

y
yawn

/ai/

ai ay
aid

/w/

table

sundae

cakes

prey

eight

/ai/

w wh -u
web

/oa/

tray

a -ae a-e -ey eigh -ea

break

-aigh

wheel penguin

straight

oa ow o -oe o-e -ough -eau

oak

bow

yo-yo

oboe

rope

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

dough

plateau

/igh/

-igh -ie
night

/ee/

ee ea
eel

/or/
or/aw/

eat

behind

e
emu

-y i-e
shy
*

bike

ei eye
eider

eye

-y e-e -ey -ie -ine

* sunny concrete

key

chief sardines
*monkey *movie

or oar -oor ore -our war quar wa

fork

oars

door

snore

aw au -al

dependent on
regional and
national accents

/z/

tie

dawn

z
zebra

sauce

chalk

four

augh ough
caught thought

-zz -s -se -ze

jazz

fries

cheese

wardrobe

breeze

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

quarter

water

/ng/

gong

/v/
/oo/
/oo/
/ks/

ink

uncle

dove

oo -oul -u
book

long

jungle

-nk -nc

v -ve
violin

short

/ngk/

-ng -n

should

push

oo -ue u-e -ew -ui -ou -o

-ough

moon

through

blue

flute

crew

fruit

-x -ks -cks -kes

fox

books

ducks

cakes

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

soup

move

/gz/

-gs -x
pegs

exam

/ch/

chairs

/sh/
/th/

patch

chef

th

station magician
voiced

thistle

/kw/

picture

sh ch -ti -ci -ssi

sheep

unvoiced

/chu/ -ture

ch -tch

/th/

admission

th

there

qu

queen

/ou/

ou ow -ough
ouch

owl

plough
Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/oi/

oi oy
ointment

/yoo/

toy

-ue u u-e ew eu
statue unicorn

/er/

er

ir

mermaid birthday

/er/
or /u/
schwa

new

deuce

ur ear wor
nurse

earth

world

-er -our -re -ar -or

mixer

/ar/

tube

humour theatre

collar

sailor

ar -a alm -alf -alv

artist

father

palm

half

calves

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008

/air/

air -are -ear -ere

hair

/eer/
/zh/

This chart is not definitive.

You may discover further
code add this to the
chart and/or main display
wall.

hare

bear

where

eer ear -ere -ier

deer

ears

-si

-s

television treasure

Hollow letters alert the

reader to various possible
pronunciations.

adhere cashier

-z
azure

-g -ge
courgette

collage

*-y, *-ey, *-ie as word endings are often pronounced between /i/ and /ee/. On this chart they appear in the /ee/ row.
The complexities of the English Alphabetic Code include:
1. one sound (phoneme) can be represented by one, two, three or four letters: e.g. /k/ k, /f/ ph, /igh/ igh, /ai/ eigh
2. one sound can be represented by different spellings (graphemes): e.g. /oa/ is represented by: o, oa, ow, oe, o-e, eau, ough
3. one spelling can represent multiple sounds: e.g. ough: /oa/ though, /or/ thought, /oo/ through, /ou/ plough, /u/ thorough
Key to the 12 units of Debbie Hepplewhites Phonics International online synthetic phonics programme:
units1-5 Simple code with some spelling alternatives
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6-12 /air/, /eer/, /zh/, split digraphs, complex code 6th
7th
8th
9th
10th

11th

12th

Debbies programme introduces a simple code of at least one letter/s-sound correspondence for each of the 44+ sounds of speech of the English language.
The programme then expands to teach further spelling and pronunciation variations of the complex Alphabetic Code (all within 12 units of resources).

Copyright Debbie Hepplewhite and Phonics International Ltd 2008