Syllables and Phonemes
Year 7 Spelling Starters
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Contents
Syllables
Phonemes
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Syllables
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Syllables
Syllables are the number of beats in a word.
How many beats are there in the word remember?
3
How many syllables are there in the following words?
underneath
Internet
dangerous
ridiculous
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3
3
3
4
sincerely
Australia
physical
scraped
3
4
3
1
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Spelling using syllables
Thinking about the syllables in a word can help you to spell
the word.
In English, syllables normally have a vowel or the letter 'y'
in them:
re-mem-ber
bi-cy-cle
de-vel-op-ment
mag-ni-fy
Some syllables are used in lots of words:
ly – happily slowly angrily
tion – station elation education radiation
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Phonemes
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Phonemes
Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound in a word.
Do you know how many phonemes there are in English?
There are approximately 44 phonemes in English!
How many phonemes are in each of the words below?
dog
desk
diary
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3
4
5
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Phonemes
Some phonemes are represented by one letter; others by
two or three letters.
How many phonemes are in each of the words below?
dish
sheep
chat
think
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3
3
3
4
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Spelling using phonemes
Sounding out the phonemes can often help you spell a word.
However, some phonemes can be spelt in more than one
way.
Why do you think the following words are tricky to
spell?
gnat
judge
science
knife
giant
city
knight
The n phoneme can be spelt n, kn or gn.
The j phoneme is created by the letters j, dge and g.
The s phoneme can be made by s, sc, se, s or ce.
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Spelling using phonemes
What sound do these words share?
mission and chef
They both use the sh phoneme.
sweet, heat, thief and these
They all have a long e sound (the phoneme ee).
tried and light
They both have a long i sound (the phoneme ie).
much and watch
They both use the ch phoneme.
Can you think of any other words which use each
phoneme?
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Syllables and phonemes quiz
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