Phonics troubleshooter — find out why your child cannot sound out words
When a child who knows their letters still cannot sound out a word, it is almost always one of four specific missing skills. Each one has a thirty-second check and a five-minute game that fixes it. This sheet puts the four checks, the four fixes, and a week of practice on one page.
Run the checks in order and stop at the first one that fits — the earlier skill has to be in place before the later ones can be.
One page, Letter or A4. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog to keep a copy.
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Phonics Troubleshooter
Work down the checks in order. Stop at the first one that fits, and practice that skill only — five minutes, most evenings.
Which skill is missing?
| Cause | The check — it fits if… | What to practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The sounds are not solid yet | The check — it fits if…: Show five or six single letters, no words. Ask “what sound does this make?” They hesitate, say the letter name, or give a different sound on a different day. | What to practice: Pause whole words. One small group of sounds at a time, starting with s, a, t, p, i, n, m, until the sound comes the moment they see the letter. |
| 2. Letter names instead of sounds | The check — it fits if…: Listen as they sound out cat. You hear “cee – ay – tee” rather than /k/ /a/ /t/. | What to practice: Model the difference: “The letter is called see, but it makes the sound /k/. Listen — /k/ /a/ /t/, cat.” A slightly fuzzy “tuh” for /t/ is fine. |
| 3. Says the sounds but cannot blend them | The check — it fits if…: No letters. Say “m – a – p” out loud and ask what word that is. They cannot tell you. | What to practice: Blend out loud before going back to print: “I am thinking of a word. It is /s/ /u/ /n/.” Two-sound words first (at, in, up), then three. |
| 4. Blends but cannot segment | The check — it fits if…: Ask “what sounds are in map?” They read the word fine but cannot break it apart. | What to practice: The same game in reverse. Tap a finger for each sound in sun. Robot talk: you say a word in robot voice, they say it normally, then swap. |
This week's five minutes
| Day | Done | Game we played | Easy · OK · Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | |||
| Tue | |||
| Wed | |||
| Thu | |||
| Fri | |||
| Sat | |||
| Sun |
Ask the school for a closer look if any one of these is true
How to use the troubleshooter
Check one thing at a time. Each check takes under a minute. Do them in order, on a calm day, and stop at the first one that fits.
Practice only that skill. The reason reading turns into a battle is usually that a child is being asked to practice the wrong thing harder. If the sounds are not solid, more word reading will not help; go back to the sounds.
Five minutes, then stop. Tick the day, note the game, circle how it felt. A row of easy days is the signal to run the next check.
If your child is four, most of this is simply early. These skills usually come online between five and seven, with a wide spread of what counts as on time.
The longer explanation
Each of the four causes, with what it looks like at the kitchen table and why it happens, is covered in My child can't sound out words — is something wrong? If the trouble is guessing from pictures rather than blending, use the Decoding Reset Plan instead.
What to print next
- Magic 7 Phonics Flashcards — for cause 1, the first seven sounds with an action for each
- Phonemic awareness worksheets — oral blending and segmenting activities for causes 3 and 4
- CVC Word Pack — once blending works out loud, the first words to blend on paper
- Phonics Sound Player — hear each of the 44 sounds said cleanly, if you are unsure how to model one
Common questions
More than one check fits. Which do I practice?
The earliest one. Blending cannot work until the sounds themselves are automatic, so fix them in order.
How long should each one take to fix?
Usually a few weeks of short daily practice. If several months of consistent practice have not changed anything, that is one of the reasons to ask the school for a phonological screening.
Is it free to print?
Yes — for home, classroom, and tutoring use, as many copies as you need.
Ready for More Than Worksheets?
Picture This! teaches visualization step-by-step so children can genuinely understand—and enjoy—what they read.