Ending sounds are the last sounds we hear in spoken words. Young readers learn to listen carefully from the beginning of a word all the way to the end. This skill helps children connect sounds to letters when they read and write.
In the word cat, the last sound is /t/, so cat ends with the letter T.
Key Facts
- An ending sound is the final sound you hear in a word.
- cat = /k/ /a/ /t/, so the ending sound is /t/.
- The word cat ends with the letter T.
- Listen to the whole word before choosing the ending letter.
- Words can have the same ending sound, such as cat, hat, and bat.
- The ending letter often matches the last sound, but some words have tricky spellings.
Vocabulary
- Ending sound
- The ending sound is the last sound you hear when you say a word.
- Letter
- A letter is a written symbol that can stand for a sound.
- Sound
- A sound is what you hear when someone says part of a word.
- Word
- A word is a group of sounds or letters that has meaning.
- Match
- To match means to find two things that go together, such as a sound and a letter.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing the first sound instead of the last sound. In cat, /k/ is the beginning sound, but /t/ is the ending sound.
- Looking only at the picture and guessing the letter. The picture helps you know the word, but you still need to say the word and listen for the last sound.
- Adding an extra sound after the word. Saying cat-uh can make children think the word ends with a different sound, so say cat clearly and stop at /t/.
- Matching the letter name instead of the letter sound. The letter T is called tee, but in cat the ending sound is /t/.
Practice Questions
- 1 Say these 5 words: cat, sun, hat, dog, bat. How many end with the /t/ sound?
- 2 Circle the words that end with the letter T: cat, mop, net, bus, hat, fan. How many did you circle?
- 3 A child says the word cat ends with /k/ because cat starts with C. Explain why the ending sound is /t/ instead.