How many phonograms are there?

It depends on who's counting. The Spalding method uses 70 phonograms. Logic of English teaches 75 basic phonograms (plus 48 advanced ones). Other programs use slightly different counts again. They're all describing the same English spelling system; they just draw the lines in slightly different places.

A phonogram is a letter or group of letters that stands for a sound: t, sh, igh. English has about 44 sounds (phonemes) but many more ways of writing them, so any phonogram list is a choice about which spellings are common enough to teach as a unit. More on the basics in What is a phonogram?.

The main counts

Sources: Great Hearts Academies, Spalding phonograms ("The Spalding method uses a set of 70 phonograms"); Logic of English Phonogram & Spelling Rule Quick Reference.

Why the numbers differ

Three things move the count. Whether a team earns its own card: is tch a phonogram, or t plus ch? Spalding includes dge but not tch; some programs include both. How rare is too rare: eigh is in Spalding's 70, while very rare spellings like augh are left to be taught as word families. Silent letters: kn, gn and wr are phonograms in Spalding; other programs teach them as "silent letter" spellings instead.

For a child, the number matters much less than knowing each phonogram's sounds cold. A child who can say all the sounds of the first 40 or so can read most of what they'll meet in early books.

The Spalding 70: phonograms 27 to 70

Phonograms 1–26 are the single letters (see phonograms 1–26). These are the other 44, the letter teams, in teaching order:

27. 27sh
    • /sh/ as in dish
28. 28ee
    • /ē/ as in see
29. 29th
    • /th/ as in thin
    • /th̲/ as in this
30. 30ow
    • /ow/ as in how
    • /ō/ as in low
31. 31ou
    • /ow/ as in round
    • /ō/ as in soul
    • /ōō/ as in you
    • /ŭ/ as in country
32. 32oo
    • /ōō/ as in boot
    • /ŏŏ/ as in foot
33. 33ch
    • /ch/ as in much
    • /k/ as in school
    • /sh/ as in chef
34. 34ar
    • /ar/ as in far
35. 35ay
    • /ā/ as in day
36. 36ai
    • /ā/ as in paint

    never at the end of a word
37. 37oy
    • /oy/ as in boy
38. 38oi
    • /oi/ as in point

    never at the end of a word
39. 39er
    • /er/ as in her
40. 40ir
    • /er/ as in first
41. 41ur
    • /er/ as in nurse
42. 42wor
    • /wer/ as in works

    /er/ after w
43. 43ear
    • /er/ as in early
44. 44ng
    • /ng/ as in rang
45. 45ea
    • /ē/ as in eat
    • /ĕ/ as in head
    • /ā/ as in break
46. 46aw
    • /aw/ as in law
47. 47au
    • /aw/ as in author

    never at the end of a word
48. 48or
    • /or/ as in for
49. 49ck
    • /k/ as in neck

    never at the start of a word
50. 50wh
    • /hw/ as in when
51. 51ed
    • /ed/ as in graded
    • /d/ as in loved
    • /t/ as in wrecked
52. 52ew
    • /ōō/ as in grew
    • /ū/ as in few
53. 53ui
    • /ōō/ as in fruit
    • /ū/ as in suit

    never at the end of a word
54. 54oa
    • /ō/ as in boat
55. 55gu
    • /g/ as in guess
56. 56ph
    • /f/ as in phone
57. 57ough
    • /ō/ as in though
    • /ōō/ as in through
    • /uf/ as in rough
    • /of/ as in cough
    • /aw/ as in thought
    • /ow/ as in drought
58. 58oe
    • /ō/ as in toe
59. 59ey
    • /ā/ as in they
    • /ē/ as in key
    • /ĭ/ as in valley
60. 60igh
    • /ī/ as in sigh
61. 61kn
    • /n/ as in knot

    only at the start of a word
62. 62gn
    • /n/ as in sign
63. 63wr
    • /r/ as in wrap
64. 64ie
    • /ē/ as in field
    • /ī/ as in pie
    • /ĭ/ as in lilies
65. 65dge
    • /j/ as in bridge
66. 66ei
    • /ē/ as in conceit
    • /ā/ as in veil
    • /ĭ/ as in forfeit
67. 67eigh
    • /ā/ as in weigh
68. 68ti
    • /sh/ as in nation
69. 69si
    • /sh/ as in session
    • /zh/ as in vision
70. 70ci
    • /sh/ as in facial

Questions parents ask