What is the difference between voiced and unvoiced phonemes?
Voiced phonemes are sounds made with vocal cord vibrations (like /b/, /d/, /g/).
Unvoiced phonemes are sounds made with just your breath, without using your voice box (like /p/, /f/, /t/).
To tell the difference, place your hand on your throat: if it vibrates, it's voiced!
Why teaching the correct letter sounds matters
Helping your preschooler pronounce letter sounds correctly is one of the most important early reading skills. These sounds, called phonemes, are the building blocks your child will use when sounding out words, spelling, and reading fluently later on.
But here’s the problem: many parents accidentally model the sounds incorrectly, especially when it comes to voiced and unvoiced consonants.
If your child gets used to saying sounds the wrong way, it can cause confusion when they start reading and writing. Fortunately, there are two simple tips you can use at home to build a strong phonics foundation, without creating bad habits.
1. Teach your child the difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds
This is one of the easiest ways to improve your child’s pronunciation, and it’s fun, too!
How to teach voiced sounds:
- These are sounds that use the vocal cords.
- Examples: /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/
- Test: Place your hand gently on your throat as you say the sound. You’ll feel it vibrate.
- Tip: Let your child do the throat test too! Feeling the “buzz” helps them recognize they’re using their voice correctly.
How to teach unvoiced sounds:
- These are sounds made with only your breath—no voice box.
- Examples: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/
- Test: Do the same throat test. If there’s no vibration, it’s unvoiced.
- Tip: Have your child whisper the sound or blow gently to help them understand the breath-only method.
This simple awareness: voice or no voice?, makes a big difference in how accurately kids learn to pronounce sounds.
2. Avoid adding a "schwa" sound at the end
This is the #1 mistake most parents and even some teachers make: Instead of saying the sound /p/, they say “puh”. Or instead of /t/, they say “tuh.”
This tiny extra vowel sound is called a schwa. And while it might seem harmless, it can lead to real issues when your child starts to blend sounds together while reading.
❌ Why "schwa" sound causes problems:
- It turns one phoneme into two (e.g. /p/ becomes /puh/)
- It confuses decoding and spelling
- It makes reading slower and less accurate
✅ How to fix it:
- Practice saying consonants cleanly and quickly, without any added vowel
- Use short, clear articulation: /p/, not puh; /t/, not tuh
- Record yourself saying sounds or use a phonics app to check
If your child is voicing an unvoiced sound, the schwa is often the reason why. Pay attention to this, and you’ll help prevent long-term reading struggles.
Quick recap for busy moms
Here’s what to remember:
- 👉 Tip 1: Teach your child the difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds using the “throat test.”
- 👉 Tip 2: Avoid adding extra vowel sounds (schwas) when pronouncing letters like /p/, /t/, or /k/.
By practicing clean, correct phonemes now, you’ll help your child:
- Read faster and more confidently
- Spell with fewer mistakes
- Develop lifelong literacy skills
If you’ll keep these 2 tips in mind when teaching phonemes, you are going to be the majority of the way there as far as keeping bad habits out of this skill and laying a strong foundation of proper letter sounds that your child can build on later for reading and spelling and literacy, which is what this is all about.
You’ll give your child awesome skills that are going to make it so much easier for them later on. So I hope you enjoy this week’s lesson plan. Maybe go back and review the letter sounds that you've learned so far, and just run through all of them and make sure that you feel confident in how you're pronouncing them, and apply these two tips.
We'll see you next time.