About Phonics Picnic

Phonics Picnic splits a word into its sounds. Tap a tile to hear that sound; run along the line under the word to hear the word. That is the whole tool. It is free, it has no account, and it keeps nothing about who you are or about the child.

Where the words come from

There are 8892 words here, drawn from phonics programmes and published word lists. Each word has a stored split. If a word is not on the list, the site does not show it or say it, even if you type it into the search.

How we split words

Our splits primarily follow the grapheme units used in UFLI Foundations: the letters that work together in phonics instruction, such as sh, qu and a_e. For American English, CMUdict supplies pronunciation and stress information. It tells us how a word is pronounced; it does not determine how its letters are grouped for teaching.

Where UFLI does not specify a grouping, we consult Hanna and colleagues' spelling–sound frequency research (1966), as summarised by Edward Fry in Phonics: A Large Phoneme-Grapheme Frequency Count Revised (2004). This currently supplies our -le grouping. It is different from Fry's list of 1,000 frequent words. Where the sources leave a gap or disagree, we record an editorial decision.

Software proposes splits using our inventory of letter–sound units. A unique alignment can be added to the word list; words with no alignment or more than one are flagged for review. We use additional pronunciation and alignment checks to help find mistakes. The site displays the saved result rather than generating a new split when you open a page.

British entries adapt the groupings for British spelling and pronunciation, with separate pronunciation checks and recorded exceptions. We keep source notes and decisions with the word data. Some less common and irregular groupings remain provisional and may change after review. These are our documented choices, not a claim that every split is prescribed or endorsed by a published source.

Where the sounds come from

Every sound and every word is one voice, at three speeds. The voice was chosen by ear, sound by sound, and every sound and every word has been listened to by a person; new words are listened to as they are added. A clip that did not pass was not put up. The same clip plays wherever that sound appears.

On the screen and on paper

Any page of words works as a classroom tool. Projector fills the screen with one word at a time; the arrow keys or a slide clicker step through sound, sound, word, next word; play all reads the page's words in turn. Any page prints as a copy sheet with a QR code that opens the same words, so the words on paper can be heard. There is no advertising on the screen, nothing to install and no account: a bookmark, a shared link or the code on a sheet opens the same words the same way.

Two ways in

By program: a UFLI Foundations lesson, a Montessori band, or a Common Core standard. Each opens the words that fit it, nothing else. By pattern: short vowels, digraphs, blends, word shapes, and the rest, in the site's own order. Both ways land on the same tool.

What it does not do

It does not teach. It does not say what to learn first, how long to practise, or what a sound is for. It gives the sounds, the words, and a way to hear them; the teaching is yours.

Programs named here

Phonics Picnic is original work, lined up with the lesson order of UFLI Foundations. It is not made or endorsed by UFLI or the University of Florida; lesson numbers are here only to help you find your place. Common Core State Standards are © 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers; the one-line descriptions on this site are ours, shortened. Montessori pink, blue and green are the series as commonly taught, not any one publisher's materials.

Who

Made by the same person as Math Picnic and Reading Picnic, for the same reason: something free that does one thing well. Write to hello@phonicspicnic.com.