8 letters · 5 sounds

How to sound out
"birthday"

8 letters, 5 sounds

b
ir
th
d
ay
5 sounds · tap each box and say it aloud

Teaching "birthday" step by step

Point to each box and say the sound aloud with your child. Then blend the sounds smoothly to read the full word. This technique — Elkonin boxes or sound boxes — is used in thousands of US classrooms following the Science of Reading approach.

  1. 1 Say the sound for "b" — then pause
  2. 2 Say the sound for "ir" — then pause
  3. 3 Say the sound for "th" — then pause
  4. 4 Say the sound for "d" — then pause
  5. 5 Say the sound for "ay" — final sound
  6. ✓ Blend all 5 sounds together: "birthday"