Letter Recognition & Sounds — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the correct answer for each question.
1. Which word starts with the /sh/ sound?
A) Star
B) Ship
C) Chip
D) Trip
'Ship' starts with the /sh/ sound. SH is a digraph — two letters that make one sound.
2. Which letter is silent in the word 'knife'?
A) n
B) i
C) f
D) k
The K is silent in 'knife'. We say /n-eye-f/, not /k-n-eye-f/. Silent K appears in words like kneel, knight, and know.
3. What sound does the letter C make in 'cat'?
A) /s/
B) /k/
C) /ch/
D) /t/
C makes the /k/ sound in 'cat'. C makes /k/ before A, O, and U, and /s/ before E and I.
4. Which of these is a consonant?
A) A
B) E
C) O
D) B
B is a consonant. A, E, and O are all vowels. Consonants are all letters that are not vowels.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or letter on the line.
1. The letters that are NOT vowels are called consonants.
Letters that are not vowels are called consonants. There are 21 consonants in the English alphabet.
2. The word 'phone' starts with the letters ph but sounds like /f/.
The letters PH in 'phone' make the /f/ sound. PH is a digraph used in many words borrowed from Greek.
3. When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.
When two vowels appear together, the first one says its long name and the second is silent (e.g., 'rain': the A says its name, I is silent).
4. The letter Y can sometimes act as a vowel.
Y can act as a vowel when it makes the /ee/ sound (funny) or /eye/ sound (fly), and there is no other vowel in the syllable.
5. The word 'city' ends with the letter y.
The word 'city' ends with the letter Y. Here Y acts as a vowel, making the /ee/ sound.