Using sounds to help work out what the words are.
Often a single letter will have its own sound in a word. For example b in boat. Or t.
We can show this by putting a dot under the b and the t.
Sometimes two letters together make a single sound. For example oa.
You can hear the o, but not the a.
We can show this by putting a line under the two letters oa.
So in the word "boat", we hear only 3 sounds, even though there are 4 letters in the word.
If you know what the word is, you don't need to sound it out - just say it.
However, if you can't think what the word is, say the sounds - and listen to yourself saying them.
Do the sounds remind you of a word you know?
Sounding out the letters can jog your memory and help you say the word and then you know what it is.
Sounding out letters is also a help if you want to spell a word.
So it's easier to write what you want to say.