When teaching reading, the pure sound a letter makes matters far more than its name. Say 'mmm', not 'muh', and 'sss', not 'suh' or 'ess'. Adding an extra 'uh' at the end of a sound quietly wrecks blending, because 'muh-a-tuh' does not sound like 'mat'. Getting pure sounds right from the start is one of the smallest changes that makes the biggest difference to how quickly your child reads.
Sounds and names are different jobs
Every letter has a name and a sound. The letter 'm' is named 'em' but says /m/. The name is useful for spelling out loud and for the alphabet song, but it is the sound that lets a child read. 'Em-a-tee' will never blend into 'mat'; /m/ /a/ /t/ will.
For early reading, teach the sound first. Letter names can come a little later, once your child is reading and no longer at risk of confusing the two. This is the approach systematic phonics and the CAPS Foundation Phase both take.
The 'schwa' problem: why 'muh' hurts
That extra 'uh' clinging to a sound is called a schwa, and it is the enemy of clean blending. If your child learns 'buh', 'cuh', 'duh', then 'cat' becomes 'cuh-a-tuh' — three chunks that stubbornly refuse to fuse into a word.
Pure sounds slide together. 'sss-aaa-t' melts smoothly into 'sat'. This is why the small detail of pronunciation is not fussy pedantry: it is the difference between a child who blends easily and one who is quietly held back for months.
Stretchy sounds and bouncy sounds
Some sounds can be held: /m/ /s/ /f/ /n/ /l/ /r/ /v/ /z/ — you can stretch them ('mmmmm', 'sssss') with no 'uh' at all. Lean on these early; they are the easiest to say purely and to blend.
Other sounds simply cannot be held without a tiny 'uh' — /b/ /d/ /g/ /p/ /t/ /k/. For these, say them as crisply and briefly as you can — a clipped /t/, not 'tuh'. A quick, quiet 'stop' sound blends far better than a drawn-out 'tuh'.
How to check you're getting it right
Record yourself saying the sounds and listen back — you will quickly hear any stray 'uh'. If you are unsure how a sound should be pronounced, audio-supported resources are invaluable, because they model each pure sound consistently every time.
Programmes like SGEG's CAPS-aligned Literacy Learner Path say every sound aloud for your child, which is a real help for parents who never learned phonics this way at school. Free videos from South African literacy organisations such as Funda Wande and Wordworks also demonstrate correct pure sounds.
What to do if your child already says 'muh'
Do not panic — this is easy to fix, especially early. Gently model the pure sound and make it a game: 'Let's say the sneaky short version — /m/, not muh.' Children usually adjust within days once they hear the clean version repeatedly.
Consistency between home and school helps. If your child's teacher and your home practice both use pure sounds, the habit locks in fast, and blending — the skill everything else depends on — becomes noticeably easier.
Key takeaways
- Teach the sound a letter makes before its name.
- Say pure sounds: 'mmm' not 'muh', 'sss' not 'suh' or 'ess'.
- A stray 'uh' (the schwa) stops sounds blending into words.
- Stretch sounds like /m/ and /s/; keep /t/ and /b/ short and crisp.
- Use audio resources to check pronunciation, and fix 'muh' gently.
References & further reading
- Funda Wande — teaching reading for meaning
- Wordworks — early language and literacy in South Africa
- Department of Basic Education — CAPS Foundation Phase
External sources open in a new tab. Saving Grace Education Group is not affiliated with these organisations.