Jolly Phonics Alternative Spellings: Full List and How to Teach Them
Alternative spellings are the different ways one sound can be written in English. The /ai/ sound, for example, can be spelled ai (rain), ay (play) or a-e (cake). In Jolly Phonics, children first learn one main spelling for each of the 42 sounds. Once they can blend those confidently, they learn the alternatives, usually one sound at a time.
This page lists the main alternative spellings with example words, explains the patterns that help children choose the right one, and gives a simple teaching order. It's part of our complete guide to Jolly Phonics.
Why Does English Have Alternative Spellings?
English has about 42 main sounds but only 26 letters, and its spelling has been shaped by many languages over centuries. So most vowel sounds, and some consonant sounds, can be written in more than one way.
This is why a child who reads rain perfectly may still write "plai" for play. They've learned one spelling of the sound, not yet the others.
When Are Alternative Spellings Taught?
Jolly Phonics teaches one spelling per sound first, and children practise blending those words before alternatives are introduced. In practice this means:
- First: the 42 sounds with one spelling each, plus blending and segmenting.
- Then: alternatives for the vowel sounds, one sound family at a time.
- Later: less common alternatives and consonant patterns (soft c, soft g, ph, wh).
Introducing alternatives too early, before blending is secure, usually confuses children.
Vowel Sounds: Alternative Spellings List
ai (rain)
ay, a-e
play, day · cake, snake
ee (feet)
ea, e-e, y
sea, leaf · these · happy
ie (tie)
igh, y, i-e
night, light · my, fly · time, bike
oa (boat)
ow, o-e
snow, grow · bone, home
ue (cue)
ew, u-e
few, new · cube, tune
er (her)
ir, ur
bird, girl · turn, fur
or (fork)
au, aw, al
haunt · saw, draw · talk, walk
oi (coin)
oy
boy, toy
ou (out)
ow
cow, down
Note on /or/: in American English, au, aw and al usually say a different vowel sound, so these words sound different in American accents.
The spellings like a-e are called split digraphs (or "magic e"): the two letters work together to make one sound, but another letter sits between them, as in c-a-k-e.
Patterns That Help Children Choose
Spelling is harder than reading, because the child must choose the right spelling. These patterns are not perfect rules, but they work for many common words:
ay usually comes at the end of a word; ai in the middle
day, play · rain, train
oy usually comes at the end; oi in the middle
boy, toy · coin, soil
ow often at the end for /ou/; ou in the middle
cow, now · out, cloud
y says /ee/ at the end of longer words
happy, sunny, baby
y says /ie/ at the end of short words
my, by, fly
igh is common before t
night, light, fight
Consonant Alternative Spellings
c, k, ck
cat · kit · duck
s, ss, c (before e, i, y)
sun · dress · city, cycle
j, g (before e, i, y), dge
jam · gem, giant · badge
f, ff, ph
fan · off · phone
w, wh
wet · when, which
l, ll
leg · bell
A common spelling pattern: after a short vowel, f, l and s are usually doubled at the end of one-syllable words (off, bell, miss).
One Spelling, Two Sounds: The "Try Both" Strategy
Some spellings can make more than one sound. ow says /ou/ in cow but /oa/ in snow. ea says /ee/ in sea but a short /e/ in head.
How to Teach Alternative Spellings
- One sound family at a time. For example, spend a week on /ai/: ai, ay, a-e.
- Sort words. Give children a mix of /ai/ words and sort them into ai, ay and a-e groups.
- Read before you spell. Children usually read alternatives confidently before they can spell with them.
- Avoid exceptions at first. Leave words like have until the main pattern is secure.
- Dictation with the pattern. Dictate words from one family: play, rain, cake, train, stay.
- Build a sound wall. Keep a chart with each sound and its spellings, and add words as you meet them.
Children Learning English as a Second Language
For children in India and the Gulf who meet English mainly at school, alternative spellings can be doubly confusing: the sound may be new, and it has several spellings. Two things help most:
- Say the word clearly before spelling it, so the child is sure which sound they're hearing.
- Use known words. Build word lists from words the child already understands (day, play, cake) before introducing unfamiliar vocabulary.
Next Steps
Alternative spellings sit between the basic sounds and advanced phonics. Once children are secure here, they move on to syllables, prefixes and suffixes, and longer spelling patterns, covered in our advanced phonics classes for ages 7–12.
Common words that don't fit any pattern are taught separately. See the Jolly Phonics tricky words list.
Children can learn alternative spellings step by step in our small-group online Jolly Phonics classes, and teachers can learn how to teach them in our phonics course for teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are alternative spellings in Jolly Phonics? +
They're the different ways the same sound can be written. For example, the /ai/ sound can be spelled ai (rain), ay (play) or a-e (cake).
When should alternative spellings be taught? +
After children know the 42 main sounds with one spelling each and can blend confidently. Alternatives are then taught one sound family at a time.
How many alternative spellings are there? +
Most vowel sounds have two to four common spellings. Jolly Phonics focuses on the most common alternatives first and adds others later.
What is the difference between ai and ay? +
Both make the same sound. ay usually comes at the end of a word (day), and ai usually comes in the middle (rain).
What is a split digraph? +
A split digraph is two letters that make one sound but are separated by another letter, such as a-e in cake or i-e in time. It's sometimes called "magic e".
Why does my child read words correctly but spell them wrongly? +
Reading only requires recognising a spelling, but spelling requires choosing the right one from several options. Word sorting and dictation from one sound family at a time help.