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Digraphs and Trigraphs: A Letter Teams Island Adventure

Digraphs and Trigraphs: A Letter Teams Island Adventure

Learn digraphs and trigraphs like ay, oy, ir and are, plus split digraphs, by joining letter teams, popping sound bubbles and spelling words.

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What you'll learn

  • What a digraph is: two letters making one sound
  • What a trigraph is: three letters making one sound, like are
  • Read ay, oy, ou, ir, aw, ue, ew, ie and oe quickly
  • How split digraphs like a-e and i-e change cap into cape
  • That ow, ie and ea can each make two sounds
  • Use ay and oy at word endings, ai and oi in the middle

Chapter by chapter

  1. Vowel digraphs: ay, oy, ou, ir and aw Free to try

    Year 1 english · 1

  2. More vowel digraphs and trigraphs: ue, ew, ie, oe, are and ore

    Year 1 english · 1

  3. Split digraphs: reading and spelling a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e and e-e

    Year 1 english · 1 Year 1 english · 2

  4. Alternative sounds: ow, ie and ea can each make two sounds

    Year 1 english · 1

  5. Spelling the same sound: ai or ay, oi or oy

    Year 1 english · 2

  6. Spelling words with digraphs and trigraphs

    Year 1 english · 2

  7. Speedy sounds and spelling challenge (12 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 1 english: Respond speedily with the correct sound to graphemes (letters or groups of letters) for all 40+ phonemes, including, where applicable, alternative sounds for graphemes
  2. Year 1 english: Spell: words containing each of the 40+ phonemes already taught

About this adventure

Digraphs and Trigraphs: A Letter Teams Island Adventure is an interactive phonics game that teaches children aged 5–7 to read and spell the Year 1 vowel digraphs, trigraphs and split digraphs from the national curriculum in England.

Guided by Pip the puffin, children tap letters to join them into teams, hear each new sound with an example word, and see sound buttons: a dot under a single letter, a line under a letter team and a curved arc for a split digraph. They pop sound bubbles against the clock, match words to pictures and add an e to turn cap into cape.

Later places practise choosing ai or ay and oi or oy, trying both sounds for ow, ie and ea, and spelling words one sound box at a time. A 12-question challenge at the lighthouse brings everything together.

Questions and answers

What is a digraph in phonics?

A digraph is two letters that work together to make one sound, such as ay in play or ir in bird. Children learn to see the pair as one unit instead of sounding out each letter separately.

What is the difference between a digraph and a trigraph?

A digraph uses two letters to make one sound, while a trigraph uses three letters to make one sound. For example, oy in boy is a digraph, and are in hare and ore in snore are trigraphs.

What is a split digraph?

A split digraph is a vowel team with another letter in the middle, such as a-e in cake or i-e in kite. The e at the end works with the earlier vowel, so cap becomes cape and kit becomes kite.

What age is this digraphs and trigraphs game for?

It is designed for children aged 5 to 7, matching Year 1 phonics and spelling in the national curriculum in England. Older children who are still unsure of these sounds can use it for practice too.

What does the game include and how long does it take?

The game has six chapters plus a 12-question final challenge, and playing everything takes about 45 minutes. Each chapter has a short animated intro, hands-on activities with spoken guidance, and can be played on its own.

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