Beginning Sounds: Match the Letter
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Skill: Matching beginning sounds in spoken words to letters
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Free for personal and classroom use. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper.
About this worksheet
Hearing the first sound in a word and knowing which letter makes that sound is a key early reading skill. This kindergarten worksheet is designed to be done with a grown-up and needs no pictures. Each of the twelve problems shows a short word with its first letter missing, such as ___un, along with three letter choices. The adult reads the whole word aloud, and the child listens for the beginning sound, circles the matching letter, and writes it on the line.
All twelve words are simple, familiar three-letter words like sun, map, dog, and bed, so children can focus on the first sound. Because the adult says the word, children practice real listening rather than simply copying letters.
How to use it: say each word slowly and stretch out the first sound, like "sssun." Ask your child, "What sound do you hear first?" and then, "Which letter makes that sound?" If they choose the wrong letter, say the word using their letter ("tun?") and let them hear the difference. Once the letter is written, have your child read the whole word back with you.
The answer key shows the correct letter for each problem and the full word in parentheses, so any adult can lead the activity. This worksheet supports Common Core standards RF.K.3.a (demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences) and RF.K.2.d (isolate and pronounce the initial sounds in three-phoneme words).
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