Welcome to the tutorial for Sound Analysis.


Introduction to the basic 17 core sounds with simple codes in the English language. Students will select the required answer based upon their ability to analyze and segment sounds that make up words.


Skills trained:

Major: AP-analysis, AP-discrimination, AP-segmenting

Minor: sustain attention, selective attention, divided attention, working memory, long term memory, processing speed, comprehension


When you first click to begin any exercise, you will see the instruction screen. These instructions change for each level. There is a link to play an audio version of the instructions if needed.


Otherwise click OK to go to the next screen. On the next screen, click start to begin the exercise.


Below are the instructions for level 1.



This exercise introduces and test 17 basic sounds, including 5 short vowel sounds and 12 common consonant sounds.


Short vowel sounds: a, e, i, o and u


Consonants: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t and w


The following link provides access to a Flash tutorial where the student can practice the sounds.

Sound Analysis Tutorial


The sounds are introduced and tested in four groups. Each group follows a similar pattern:

  1. Level 1 introduces the sounds and their codes.
  2. Level 2 tests the codes.
  3. Level 3, spell the sound combination heard using the proper sound codes.
  4. Level 4, select the 1st or 2nd sound code from the sound combination heard.
  5. Level5, drop either the 1st or 2nd sound as directed from the sound combination heard and enter the sound code for the sound that remains.

Below is a screen shot from level 1 which introduces one sound and the code at a time.



Then the sound is played and the student must select the correct code from three choices. Level two plays a sound and then the student must select the correct sound code.



Level 3. Students will hear a sound combination. They must select the correct codes that spell that sound.



Level 4. Students will be told the select the first or second sound, then hear a sound combination. They must enter the correct code.



Level 5. Students will be told to drop the first or second sound. Then they will hear a sound combination. They must drop the correct sound then enter the code for the sound that remains. For example, if they heard the sound combination “at” and they were told to drop the first sound, they would enter “t” which is the remaining sound after the “a” is dropped.



The drop exercise is difficult for some students to understand. The following Flash file teaches this concept.

Drop Tutorial


This sequence is repeated four times until all 17 sounds have been introduced and trained. This takes the student through level 20.

Levels 21 through 41 cycle through the spell, select and drop exercises with increasingly more complex sound combinations.