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The Global Insight

Whats the difference between synthetic and analytic phonics

Author

Mia Horton

Updated on April 20, 2026

Synthetic phonics is a more accelerated form of phonics. … With analytic phonics, children are taught to recognize whole words by sight, and later to break down the word into the smaller units of sound. Letter sounds are taught after reading has begun.

What is a synthetic approach to phonics?

Synthetic phonics instruction focuses on teaching each individual letter sound and having kids try to sound each letter or letter combination (like th, sh) one at a time and then try to blend those back into word pronunciations.

Is Jolly phonics synthetic or analytic?

Jolly Phonics is a comprehensive programme, based on the proven, fun and muliti-sensory synthetic phonics method that gets children reading and writing from an early age. This means that we teach letter sounds as opposed to the alphabet.

What is an analytic approach to phonics?

Analytic phonics refers to a common approach to the teaching of reading that starts at the word level, rather than the sound (phoneme) level. Unlike synthetic phonics it doesn’t teach the blending of sounds together.

What are the 4 types of phonics instructional approaches?

  • Analogy phonics. …
  • Analytic phonics. …
  • Embedded phonics. …
  • Phonics through spelling. …
  • Synthetic phonics.

What are the benefits of analytic phonics?

In analytic phonics children are taught to analyse whole words to detect spelling patterns and then split them into the onset and rime. This decoding enables them to make a comparison with other words they may know from the same word family.

How do you teach analytic phonics?

  1. Use books that have predictable, repetitive sentences.
  2. Encourage children to use picture clues for any unknown words.
  3. Teach students about word families. ( …
  4. Encourage students to look for consonant clusters at the beginning and ends of words. (

Is analytic phonics the same as whole language?

Analytic phonics is different from Synthetic phonics (that starts at the individual sound/ phoneme level and builds up to the whole word), and Whole language (that starts at the word level and does not encourage the use of phonics). It may, however, be used as a part of the Balanced literacy approach.

What is analytic and synthetic approach?

Traditionally, children were taught to read using ‘analytic phonics’. This method has children ‘analysing a word‘, taking clues from recognition of the whole word, the initial sound and the context. … Synthetic Phonics on the other hand, involves no guessing!

Why do we use synthetic phonics?

Systematic synthetic phonics is key to teaching children reading and writing. It provides them with strategies to decode words, which is especially important because English is such a difficult language to learn with the many different ways to make the same sounds from different letters or combinations of letters.

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Which phonics should I teach first?

The order of teaching these phonemes can vary between schools and teaching schemes, but the most common phonemes are usually taught first – such as /t/, /a/, /s/, /n/, /p/ and /i/. Try our ‘s’ lesson pack, to see a range of wonderful Level 2 activities, including a PowerPoint and some games!

Is Letterland synthetic phonics?

Letterland is undoubtedly predominantly a phonics programme, and it includes many elements of synthetic phonics. It involves direct instruction and a systematic, fast-paced, comprehensive introduction to letter/sound correspondences.

What are the three types of phonics?

There are three main types of phonics: analytic, embedded and synthetic. A fourth type, analogy phonics, is a subtype of analytic phonics. Of these, analytic or embedded phonics are taught with the whole word method of teaching reading and synthetic phonics is taught within a phonics based reading program.

What is the most effective phonics approach?

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is most effective when introduced early. Phonics instruction is most effective when it begins in kindergarten or first grade. To be effective with young learners, systematic instruction must be designed appropriately and taught carefully.

Why synthetic approach is the best?

Systematic synthetic phonics is scientifically supported as the approach which most effectively caters to the needs of all students. Combining systematic synthetic phonics with explicit instruction in morphology and etymology ensures students gain the knowledge and skills required for spelling success.

What is an analytic approach?

any method based on breaking down a complex process into its parts so as to better understand the whole.

Why is synthetic phonics better than analytic phonics?

The difference between them is substantial enough to affect the gains in literacy that young readers make. Synthetic phonics is a more accelerated form of phonics. … With analytic phonics, children are taught to recognize whole words by sight, and later to break down the word into the smaller units of sound.

Is systematic and synthetic phonics the same?

We teach children that letter sounds can be blended or ‘synthesised’ together to form words. The ‘synthetic‘ in SSP means ‘composed’ or ‘built from’. Systematic Synthetic Phonics is a bottom-up approach in that instruction starts not with whole words but with the most basic sound unit, the phoneme.

Is systematic phonics the same as synthetic phonics?

Systematic, not synthetic. (Systematic means that the phonics instruction followed a scope-and-sequence, the teacher didn’t just teach phonics as she thought kids might need it.)

What are the 44 phonetic sounds?

  • Five short vowel sounds: short a, short e, short i, short o, short u.
  • Five long vowel sounds: long a, long e, long i, long o, long u.
  • Two other vowel sounds: oo, ōō
  • Five r-controlled vowel sounds: ar, ār, ir, or, ur.

Should I teach blends or digraphs first?

What order should blends and digraphs be taught? While you should find the best method for YOUR students, it is recommended that blends come prior to digraphs. When learning about consonant blends, students are also learning to recognize patterns in words. Check out my blog for other helpful teaching strategies.

What phonics should be taught in 2nd grade?

2nd graders are reading more complicated words that contain letter “blends”. A blend is when two or three letters come together to help words begin. 2nd graders are expected to learn the letter blends: str, tr, sw, st , sp, sn, sm, sl, sc, pl, gr, fl, dr, cr, cl, br, and bl.

Is Letterland evidence based?

Letterland. No studies of Letterland meet the What Works Clearinghouse rigorous standards for an evidence-based intervention. (However, at least one North Carolina school district compared their results using Letterland with a similar North Carolina school district.)

What is the purpose of Letterland?

Letterland was created to teach phonics using a story-based approach. The story logic engages students leading to long term retention of concepts. What’s more, Letterland is wonderfully multi-sensory. It activates every learning channel through music, actions, alliteration, movement, song, art, games and role-play.

Where is Letterland located?

The very popular family event, Letterland, which has been taking place once a year at Pullen Park in Raleigh, is going to be taking place in 2021, but in a more socially distanced way.

What are the different phonics sounds?

Different curricula introduce these 44 phonemes in different orders. However, many children learn the phonemes in roughly the following order: letter sounds, short vowels, consonant digraphs, consonant blends, silent e, long vowels, r-controlled, inflectional endings, other vowel digraphs.

What are the levels of phonics?

Phonics Hero’s resources include three stages of phonics curriculum: the Basic, Advanced Code and Complete the Code.

What is the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?

Phonics involves the relationship between sounds and written symbols, whereas phonemic awareness involves sounds in spoken words. Therefore, phonics instruction focuses on teaching sound-spelling relationships and is associated with print. Most phonemic awareness tasks are oral.

What are the big 6 in literacy?

For beginning readers, all the components of the Big 6—oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension—need to be integrated throughout reading opportunities across the day, even though teachers may highlight these individual components at different times.

How often should phonics be taught?

Teaching 10-15 minutes a day of dedicated phonics is optimal. Although students will acquire these skills at different rates, as with all skills, regular practice and exposure accelerates phonics acquisition. It is possible to do more than these short sharp lessons of course, but more does not always equate to better.

What is a heart word?

Irregularly spelled words are called “Heart Words” because some part of the word will have to be “learned by heart.” Heart Words are also used so frequently that they need to be read and spelled automatically. Examples of Heart Words are: said, are, and where.