Important: The consonants below are presented as pure sounds: they are given without the schwa (“uh”) sound that is commonly added. The extra vowel often causes confusion and makes blending more difficult (cuh-a-tuh rather than c-a-t).
In addition, several sounds are presented with a different vowel sound afterward in order to facilitate blending: “qu” is pronounced koo; “w” is pronounced woo; and “y” is pronounced yee.
Though unconventional, this approach is quite effective. When these sounds are said in the context of words, the vowel leads naturally into the rest of the word and becomes almost unnoticeable. For example, quiet = koo-iet; when = woo-en; and yes = yee-ess.
Short Consonants
b
c, k
d
h
j
p
t
Long (Continuous) Consonants
f
l
m
n
ng (usually ing)
q
r
s
v
w
x
y
z
Digraphs