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The Letter O

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Basics on the topic The Letter O

Introduction to the Letter O

Welcome to the wonderful world of the alphabet, where we meet the letter o, a vowel that's as round and open as the mouth when we say its name. It's a key player in the alphabet and a letter you'll often see in reading and writing. Let's discover more about this fascinating letter together!

Understanding the Letter O – Definition and Sounds

The letter o is the fifteenth letter in the English alphabet and is classified as a vowel. It can make different sounds but often it makes an /o/ sound which is like the /o/ in on.

The letter o is versatile and appears in many words, contributing significantly to the English language. Learning the different sounds it makes is crucial for developing reading skills.

Can you name a word that has the /o/ sound?
Where does the letter o fall in the English alphabet?

Writing the Letter O – Practice and Tips

Writing the letter o is simple and fun! The capital 'O' is just like drawing a circle. Start at the top, curve around to the left, down and back up to the top. The lower case 'o' is a smaller circle. Follow the steps below to write a pre-cursive letter ‘o’.

Step Instruction
1 Start on the black line 27743_WritingTheLetterO_-12_(1).svg
2 Whoosh up to the blue line. 27743_WritingTheLetterO_-11_(1).svg
3 Curl back round to form a curly c shape. 27743_WritingTheLetterO_-10_(1).svg
4 Join the circle back up at the top. 27743_WritingTheLetterO_-09_(1).svg
5 Finish with a small flick. 27743_WritingTheLetterO_-08_(1).svg

The Letter O – Example in Words and Sentences

Now, let's see the letter o in action. In the word October the letter O is at the beginning making an /o/ sound. In the sentence, Olivia owns one orange orchid the letter O begins each word making different sounds.

Words with the Letter O

The letter o is often seen in the English language. Here's a table with words that begin with, contain and end with the letter o:

Begin With Contain End With
octagon fox echo
ostrich box buffalo
on socks zero
off lock hero

Often, the letter o makes a long o sound rather than the short /o/ sound at the end of a word.

The Letter O – Summary

Key Learnings from this Text:

  • The letter o is the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet and a vowel.
  • It can make different sounds but often makes the /o/ sound as in the word on.
  • Recognising both capital "O" and lower case "o" is important for developing reading and writing skills.

Keep practicing the letter o with engaging activities, and don't forget to look for it in your favourite books. The more you use it, the better you'll get!

The Letter O – Frequently Asked Questions

What are the two primary sounds of the letter o?
Is the letter o always pronounced the same in every word?
Can you give an example of a word that ends with the letter o?
What is an example of a word that contains the letter o?
Why is it important for children to learn the letter o?
What are some fun activities for practicing the letter o?
How can I help my child remember the sounds of the letter o?
What are effective strategies for teaching the letter o?
How do you write the letter o?

Transcript The Letter O

Let’s join Dee and Kala in the phonics garden and learn all about /o/. This is the letter O, it makes the sound /o/. This is a capital /O/ and this is a lower case /o/. They both make the /o/ sound like in on, orange and ox. Let's practise the /o/ sound with Kala and Dee! "/o/, /o/!" "/o/, /o/!" Can you spy anything in the garden that begins with /o/? "There's an octopus!" "Octopus starts with the sound /o/!" Is there anything else in the garden that starts with /o/? "There's an octagon that also begins with the sound /o/!" Uh-oh! /O/ is hiding with the other letters! Can you help to find the /o/ in the alphabet? Point to the letter when you find it! Did you also point here? You did some great work in the phonics garden! Today we learnt all about /o/, we listened to and made the /o/ sound. We found words that began with /o/ and found it in the alphabet! Interested in a challenge? Watch this video again and see if you can find the ostrich, the otter and olive hidden in the garden Comment below when you find them! If you want to learn more, check out the next sound!

The Letter O exercise

Would you like to apply the knowledge you’ve learnt? You can review and practice it with the tasks for the video The Letter O.
  • Which one is the correct letter?

    Hints

    Listen carefully to the sound, play it again and think about what you can hear.

    The switch is __.

    Look again at the picture above. What sound does this word start with?

    Solution

    The correct letter is o. This makes the /o/ sound.

  • What sound does the letter make?

    Hints

    The word on starts with the sound.

    Listen to all four sounds again. Which one is the same as the beginning of the name Oliver?

    Solution

    The correct sound is /o/.

  • Find the objects that begin with "o".

    Hints

    There are 4 items that start with o to highlight.

    Listen to this word. Can you find it in the picture?

    Listen carefully to the names of the objects.

    Solution

    The four items that begin with o are:

    • orangutan
    • olive
    • octagon
    • ox
  • What is the word?

    Hints

    Listen carefully. Does the word start with o or does it have o in the middle?

    What other sounds can you hear?

    Here we can see the words with pictures. Use this to help you find the matching pairs above.

    Solution

    The words are:

    1. off
    2. dot
    3. pop
    4. moss
  • Help Kala find the objects that begin with "o".

    Hints

    Listen to the sound. Which words begin with this sound?

    Say all of the items out loud. In which ones do you hear the /o/ sound at the beginning?

    There are two correct choices.

    Solution

    Orange and office start with /o/.

  • Can you put the words in the correct group?

    Hints

    Listen carefully to this word. Do you hear o at the beginning or in the middle?

    Think carefully about the first sound that you hear, is it o or a different sound?

    There are 2 words that begin with o and 4 words that have o in the middle.

    Solution

    Ostrich and octopus have o at the beginning.

    Dog, cot, sock and log have o in the middle.