Blending is the ability to combine individual sounds into whole words. It's the bridge between knowing letter sounds and actually reading.
Builds phonemic awareness, letter-sound connections, decoding ability, and reading fluency.
Learn what Blending Words means, why it matters, and how to teach it at home.
View Skill PageA parent-friendly guide with activities, teaching tips, and milestone information for Blending Words.
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Get PrintableParents often ask these questions when working on Blending Words.
Blending is the ability to combine individual letter sounds into a whole word. For example, hearing /c/ /a/ /t/ and recognizing the word "cat." It is a critical step between knowing letter sounds and actually reading.
Most children are ready to practice blending between ages 4 and 6. It helps if they already know their letter sounds before starting blending practice.
Start by stretching out simple words slowly: "sssss-uuuuu-nnn." Then say the word faster until your child hears the whole word. Use CVC words first since they are the easiest to blend.
Blending is one part of sounding out. Sounding out means identifying each letter sound, while blending means putting those sounds together smoothly to read the whole word.
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