Read the Word
Look at the word, sound it out, then say it out loud.
What Read the Word practices
Read the Word asks your child to read a real word out loud, one they have not been shown before. Early words are short and fully decodable, such as sat, pat, tap, pin, dog and cat, and later rounds bring in common tricky words like the, said and was.
Because the word is new, reading it correctly shows real sounding out rather than a remembered shape. When a reading is nearly right, the game underlines the sound that slipped, so your child knows exactly where to look.
Who it suits
New readers around ages five to seven who have started blending, and older children or adults who are learning to read in English. It is a good way to see sounding out in action.
How a round goes
Your child looks at the word, sounds it out and says it. The game never says the word first. There are three tries, and after that the word is played so your child hears it and moves on.
If the microphone is off, a grown-up can mark each read Yes or Not yet instead. One word per round, so five words take a minute or two.
A tip for home
Resist reading the word for your child. If they stall, point to the first letter and ask, “What sound?” then slide your finger along. Tiny prompts keep the reading theirs, and the success feels much bigger.
Try next
- Word Family — reads a run of rhyming words that share an ending.
- Flash Word — builds speed with a friendly race against the buddy.
- Read the Line — moves from single words to a whole sentence.
- Silly or Right? — a quick check that every letter in a word was read, not just the first.
More from “Reading words”
- Heart Words — Learn tricky words like said and was.
- Picture Pick — Sound out a word, then pick the picture it names.
Read more
Why children guess at words: how to swap guessing for sounding out, gently and without pressure.
For grown-ups
No account is needed. Plays are counted anonymously, with no cookies or screen recording, and progress stays in this browser unless you save it to an account. This game does not make a reading-level diagnosis. Privacy details.
The browser asks for the microphone the first time your child needs to speak, never before. If you say no, you can mark each answer right or not yet instead.
Embed Read the Word on any static site
The same framework-neutral component works in plain HTML, site builders, and static exports. Use activity="choose" instead of a slug to let visitors pick from every game inside the embed.
<script async src="https://readpals.com/embed/readpals-skill-sprint.v1.js"></script>
<readpals-skill-sprint activity="read-the-word"></readpals-skill-sprint>