ReadABLE Words: Making Each Word Readable for Each Learner

Spending less time on single-word decoding frees up working memory and cognitive resources. This allows children to focus on understanding what the words mean and to expand their vocabulary knowledge through exposure to meaningful, connected language. They also WANT to read more!

During the 10-Day Plan, if a child shows interest in a word, map it for them. All words can be made readABLE, even from the very beginning.

This supports the child in learning all the Phonemies sounds and introduces the idea of “follow the monster sounds to say the word” using Duck Hands and a sweep to blend.

Because the word is meaningful to the child, they are more intrinsically motivated to engage with the process. This also strengthens both phonemic awareness and phonological working memory, laying essential foundations for successful word mapping and early reading.

Show the Sound Pics® (graphemes), but at this stage the focus is on the Phonemies and developing the skills needed to be ABLE to learn phonics. Use the Blue Cow if they choose this, as they will tend to over-pronounce the sound that is technically a schwa, just as they often do with their own names during the initial stages.

See the Phonemie (Speech Sound Monster®) for the /o/ sound in some. If the word were pronounced in isolation, it would actually be the Blue Cow (sʌm).

ReadABLE Words are individual words that have been made accessible to every learner, regardless of their stage in phonics instruction or their underlying language profile. Instead of expecting children to decode based on a fixed set of GPCs, each word is presented in a mapped format that clearly shows the graphemes and their sound values, with Phonemies (speech sound characters) either shown underneath, or embedded.

These Phonemies are aligned with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to support accurate speech–sound awareness and consistent decoding. This allows children to read words that interest them, even if they have not yet been taught the relevant GPCs through a synthetic phonics programme.

ReadABLE Words are especially supportive for learners who:

Have dyslexia or phonological difficulties,
Are neurodivergent or have speech, language and communication needs,
Have become instructional casualties due to rigid or incomplete phonics instruction.

By making the code visible and child-accessible, ReadABLE Words help every learner connect spoken and written language meaningfully and confidently. Children are shown each grapheme alongside its IPA-aligned Phonemies.

With good phonemic awareness, developed through the 10-Day Plan, children are able to glue together speech sounds, spelling, and meaning when they see the mapped words. This integration helps them store each word securely in the orthographic lexicon, the brain’s word bank. Once stored, they can recognise and spell these words correctly in the future, when phoneme and spelling cues are not present.

Watch this space for details of the latest code mapping technology being developed. It will enable children to click on any word on the screen and have it made instantly readable.

Children are far more likely to engage with reading when the words and topics are personally meaningful. For example, when a child sees their own interests reflected in the text, such as dinosaurs, pets, space, or their own name, reading becomes relevant rather than abstract. This emotional connection fuels motivation and curiosity, which are critical drivers of early reading success.

For struggling readers, especially those who have been left behind by rigid, uniform phonics instruction, engagement is not a luxury. It is essential. When children work with words they care about, they are more willing to persist, more likely to notice patterns, and more open to exploring how the written code works.

ReadABLE Words makes this possible. Instead of limiting children to preselected decodable texts, it allows each child to access each word they want to read. By embedding sound–symbol information (with support from Phonemies), even complex or previously untaught words become decodable and meaningful.

This approach does more than teach reading. It respects the learner, supports autonomy, and restores joy in learning.