Teach letter sounds first, and let names come along for the ride. Sounds are what a child needs to read; names are how adults talk about letters. Most preschool teachers and reading researchers agree: a child who knows the sound /m/ can start reading "mum" today, while a child who only knows "the letter em" still has to translate that into a sound first.
Letter sounds vs. letter names: what to teach first
The difference, in one sentence each
A letter name is what we call the symbol — "ay, bee, cee". A letter sound is the noise the letter makes inside a word — /a/, /b/, /k/. Sounds are what reading actually uses; names are the vocabulary we use to discuss letters.
Why sounds matter more for early reading
Reading is, at its core, the brain mapping letters to sounds and blending those sounds into words. A child who can hear that "sun" is /s/ + /u/ + /n/, and who knows what each of those sounds looks like on paper, is already reading.
Letter names do not give you that. Knowing "B" is "bee" does not help a child sound out "bat" — they have to translate "bee" into /b/ first. That extra step is unnecessary friction in early reading.
When letter names do matter
Names become useful as a shared vocabulary: "Can you find the M?" is easier to say than "Can you find the letter that goes /m/?" Names also help when spelling out loud and when your child starts asking about letters they see on signs.
A practical rule: lead with sounds, but say the name when it comes up naturally. Children pick up both with surprisingly little effort if they hear them used in context.
How to introduce both together
When you point at a letter, say the sound first, then the name, then a quick example word. Three seconds, no lesson plan:
- "This one says /m/. Its name is M. Like in mum."
- "This one says /s/. Its name is S. Like in sun."
- "This one says /a/. Its name is A. Like in apple."
Common mistakes to avoid
Three things that make early reading harder, even though they look helpful at first:
- Adding "uh" to consonants. /b/, not "buh". Saying "buh-a-tuh" makes "bat" sound like a four-syllable word.
- Teaching only uppercase. Most printed text is lowercase. Children who only see uppercase miss most of what is around them.
- Drilling letter names without sounds. Knowing the alphabet song is fun, but it is not reading. Pair every name with the sound it makes.
A two-week starter plan
If you are starting from zero, this is enough structure for almost any 3- to 5-year-old:
- Week 1: focus on the letters in your child's name. Sound first, name second, example word third. Three minutes a day.
- Week 2: add the most common consonant sounds — /m/, /s/, /t/, /p/, /n/ — plus one short vowel like /a/. Same three-step pattern.
- Throughout: point out letters on signs, packaging, and screens. Real-world spotting reinforces what short sessions teach.
A note on languages other than English
In languages with more transparent spelling — such as Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Finnish — the gap between letter names and letter sounds is smaller. Children in those languages tend to read sooner because the mapping is closer to one-to-one. The principle is still the same: sounds first, names alongside.