Welcome to Letter Names & Letter Sounds!

Hello! Welcome to the exciting world of English letters and sounds. Have you ever wondered why learning the alphabet is like getting a magic key? Once you know the letters and the sounds they make, you will be able to read and say hundreds of English words all by yourself!

In this chapter, we will learn two very important things:
1. The name of each letter (what we call it).
2. The sound of each letter (how it speaks in a word).

Note: Later on, you will learn how to put these sounds at the beginnings and ends of words in the chapter "Initial & final consonant sounds", and how to put them together in "Spelling & word building".

1. Letter Name vs. Letter Sound: What is the Difference?

Don't worry if this seems a little confusing at first! Here is an easy way to understand it:

Think of a cat. What is its name? Its name is Cat. But what sound does a cat make? It says "Meow!".
Think of a dog. Its name is Dog, but its sound is "Woof!".

English letters are just like animals!
- A letter has a name that we use to spell it.
- A letter makes a sound when we read it out loud in words.

Example:
- The letter B:
  • Its name is "Bee".
  • Its sound is /b/ (like in bat, ball, and boy).
- The letter M:
  • Its name is "Em".
  • Its sound is /m/ (like in man, mom, and milk).

Key Takeaway: The name is what we call the letter. The sound is what we hear when we read the word!

2. The 26 Letters: Big and Small

The English alphabet has 26 letters. Each letter can be written in two forms:
- Uppercase (Capital letter / ตัวพิมพ์ใหญ่): A, B, C...
- Lowercase (Small letter / ตัวพิมพ์เล็ก): a, b, c...

Even though they look different, A and a have the same name and make the same sound!

Meet the 26 Letters and Their Letter Names:

A a — name sounds like: Ay
B b — name sounds like: Bee
C c — name sounds like: See
D d — name sounds like: Dee
E e — name sounds like: Ee
F f — name sounds like: Ef
G g — name sounds like: Jee
H h — name sounds like: Aych
I i — name sounds like: Eye
J j — name sounds like: Jay
K k — name sounds like: Kay
L l — name sounds like: El
M m — name sounds like: Em
N n — name sounds like: En
O o — name sounds like: Oh
P p — name sounds like: Pee
Q q — name sounds like: Kyoo
R r — name sounds like: Ar
S s — name sounds like: Ess
T t — name sounds like: Tee
U u — name sounds like: Yoo
V v — name sounds like: Vee
W w — name sounds like: Double-yoo
X x — name sounds like: Ex
Y y — name sounds like: Wye
Z z — name sounds like: Zed (or Zee)

3. Vowels and Consonants

The 26 letters are divided into two main groups: Vowels and Consonants.

The 5 Vowels: A, E, I, O, U

Vowels are special, musical letters! Every English word needs at least one vowel sound. For beginners, we start by learning their short sounds:

- A a makes the sound /a/ (like in apple, ant, cat)
- E e makes the sound /e/ (like in egg, elephant, pen)
- I i makes the sound /i/ (like in ink, igloo, pin)
- O o makes the sound /o/ (like in ox, orange, pot)
- U u makes the sound /u/ (like in up, umbrella, sun)

The Consonants (The other 21 letters)

These letters give words their shape and frame:

- B b makes the sound /b/ (like in bag)
- C c makes the sound /k/ (like in cat, cup)
- D d makes the sound /d/ (like in dog)
- F f makes the sound /f/ (like in fish)
- G g makes the sound /g/ (like in go, gun)
- H h makes the sound /h/ (like in hat, hen)
- J j makes the sound /j/ (like in jam, jet)
- K k makes the sound /k/ (like in kite)
- L l makes the sound /l/ (like in leg)
- M m makes the sound /m/ (like in map)
- N n makes the sound /n/ (like in net, nut)
- P p makes the sound /p/ (like in pan, pig)
- Q q makes the sound /kw/ (usually written with u: queen)
- R r makes the sound /r/ (like in red, rat)
- S s makes the sound /s/ (like in sun, sit)
- T t makes the sound /t/ (like in top, ten)
- V v makes the sound /v/ (like in van)
- W w makes the sound /w/ (like in win, wet)
- X x makes the sound /ks/ (like in box, six)
- Y y makes the sound /y/ (like in yes, yellow)
- Z z makes the sound /z/ (like in zoo, zero)

4. Comparing English and Thai Letters (ต ๒.๒)

In your English lessons, you will often compare English sounds with Thai sounds to help you remember them better!

Similarities (Things that are alike):

- Many English consonant sounds have close twin sounds in Thai:
  • English B /b/ sounds very much like Thai บ (b).
  • English M /m/ sounds very much like Thai ม (m).
  • English D /d/ sounds very much like Thai ด (d).
  • English T /t/ sounds very much like Thai ท or ต.
  • English N /n/ sounds very much like Thai น.

Differences (Things to watch out for!):

- Number of letters: The English alphabet has 26 letters, while the Thai alphabet has 44 consonants plus vowel symbols!
- Upper and Lower Case: English uses both capital letters (A, B, C) and small letters (a, b, c). Thai letters do not have capital and small forms.
- Sounds that Thai does not have:
  • V v: To make the /v/ sound, touch your top teeth gently to your bottom lip and vibrate your voice (like a gentle buzz). It is not quite the same as Thai ว.
  • Z z: To make the /z/ sound, make a buzzing bee sound with your tongue behind your teeth. It is a vibrating sound, unlike Thai ซ or ส.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Reading words using the letter names instead of letter sounds.
- Incorrect: Trying to read c-a-t as "See - Ay - Tee".
- Correct: Blend the letter sounds: /k/ - /a/ - /t/ = cat!

Mistake 2: Mixing up lowercase letters that look similar.
- b and d: Remember that lowercase b has a belly pointing forward in reading direction (to the right: b), while d has its round part pointing back (to the left: d).
- p and q: Lowercase p has a circle pointing right, while q points left.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the difference between letter name and sound for vowels.
When we see the letter A in the word ant, we do not say the name "Ay". We say the sound /a/!

6. Quick Review

- English has 26 letters in total.
- There are 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and 21 consonants.
- Each letter has a name (what you call it) and a sound (what you pronounce when reading).
- Letters can be written as uppercase (A) or lowercase (a).
- Practice listening carefully: use the letter sounds when sounding out and reading words!