Research abstract

Doesn’t IE say more than one sound?

Do you get confused with the order of IE when spelling? Phonograms are tricky. However, they can be quite fun, too. Learning why letters are silent or sound different is something that makes English unique. By Liz Winter

Laura Lurns Last updated January 30, 2017 · 1 min read

Phonograms are units of sounds, made of one or more letters that work together to make the same sound. For example, in English all the vowels (a, e, i, o, u), are phonograms, as are combinations like “th” and “ch”. They are different from letters that act in combination but both make their own sound, such as “nd.”

A phonogram is different from a blend, which contains two letters saying their own sounds: fl, nd, st. The words flip, sand, and stop all contain four separate sounds and four phonograms.

“ie” is interesting because it is typically taught as having the short “i” sound, as in “field,” but can also make a long “i” sound, as in “pie.” However, “ie” makes the short sound much more often than it does the long sound, and whenever it makes the long sound it can be explained by rules like a silent “e,” so it’s simpler to teach “ie” as always making the short sound.

Key takeaways

Phonograms are letters or groups of letters that work together to make one sound in the English language, for example “a” or “ch”.
The phonogram “ie” is most often taught as making a short sound, as in “field,” but there are many words where it makes a long sound, as in “pie.”
However, since most words use the short sound of “ie” and the ones where they use the longer sound can be explained in different ways, such as the use of a silent “e,” it is simpler to teach only the short sound of “ie.”

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Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert Writes about the learning brain for parents who want plain answers. Every article is grounded in current neuroscience and classroom practice.

A phonogram is different from a blend, which contains two letters saying their own sounds: fl, nd, st. The words flip, sand, and stop all contain four separate sounds and four phonograms.

Key takeaways

Is your child struggling in school?

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