Rub your tummy in a slow circle and hum a long “mmmm,” as if you have just tasted something delicious. That is the Jolly Phonics action for today’s letter, and it gets most four-year-olds saying the sound correctly before they ever pick up a pencil.
This guide walks through the phonics m sound step by step: how to say it, where it sits in the teaching order, and the words, games and worksheet a parent or teacher needs for a child around age 4 to 5. It is the sixth sound taught in Jolly Phonics Group 2 (c k e h r m d), coming after r and before d.
Saying the /m/ Sound the Right Way
/m/ is a voiced nasal sound: press your lips together, let your voice hum through your nose, and hold it for as long as your breath lasts — mmmmmm. Because the throat buzzes, a child can feel it if they rest two fingers on their own voice box while saying it.
Pair the sound with the tummy-rub action above, or try a quick two-second chant: “Mmm, mmm, yummy plum,” said slowly every time the letter M turns up on a page. The closest mix-up is /n/, the other nasal sound — man and name are a good pair to test with. The fix is simple: for /m/ the lips stay shut the whole time, while for /n/ the mouth stays a little open and the tongue tip touches behind the top teeth.
Download the Free Jolly Phonics 42 Sounds Chart
Get all 42 Jolly Phonics letter sounds on one free printable chart PDF — in teaching order with an example word for every sound.
A Short /m/ Story
Danny found a jar of honey on the counter and dipped one finger in before anyone could stop him. “Mmm, mmm, mmm,” he mumbled with his mouth full, eyes closed like it was the best thing he had ever tasted. Julia grabbed a spoon and joined in, humming the same happy “mmmm” between bites, until their mom laughed and put the jar away for later.
Watch and Listen: /m/ in Action
This short video shows exactly how the mouth is shaped for /m/, which is useful if you want your child to copy the lip position rather than just the sound.
4 Quick /m/ Activities for Today
Each of these takes two to five minutes and uses things you likely already have out.
- Sound hunt (2 minutes): walk around the kitchen and name three things that start with /m/ — milk, mug, muffin.
- Listen-and-mark game (3 minutes): show your child the picture below and have them mark true only when they hear /m/ in a word you say out loud.
- Trace it (3 minutes): use the printable worksheet further down the page while saying the sound out loud as the pencil moves.
- Blend with flashcards (4 minutes): point at the three letter cards below one at a time and have your child blend them into a real word.
Here are three phase 2 flashcards to use for the blending activity above:
Words That Use the /m/ Sound
Read the following words together, then try blending a few of them sound by sound.
Beginning: map, man, mud, meet, milk, mat, mug, moon
Middle: hammer, summer, camel, lemon, hamster, comet
End: dam, ham, jam, drum, swim, room, foam, team
Blend it: m-a-t → mat, m-u-d → mud, j-a-m → jam, s-u-m → sum
Worksheet: Trace the Letter M
Print the tracing page below for a fresh, animal-themed practice sheet, or use the dedicated letter M m tracing worksheets.
For more practice across every letter, browse the PRESCHOOL WORKSHEETS TRACING LETTERS library, and see all the flashcards in pdf printable designs for free.
Where /m/ Sits in the Jolly Phonics Sequence
/m/ is the sixth sound in Group 2, taught right after the /r/ sound and just before the /d/ sound. For the complete 42-sound teaching order in one place, see the Jolly Phonics complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
What age do children usually learn the /m/ sound?
Most children meet /m/ in Reception or kindergarten, around age 4 to 5, as part of Jolly Phonics Group 2.
How do you teach a child to say /m/ correctly?
Show them the tummy-rub action, press the lips together, and hum on the voice rather than adding a vowel like “muh.” Holding a hand on the throat to feel the buzz helps too.
What is the difference between the /m/ and /n/ sounds?
Both are nasal and voiced, but for /m/ the lips stay pressed shut the whole time, while for /n/ the mouth opens slightly and the tongue tip touches behind the top teeth. Man and name are a useful practice pair.
What words can my child practice with the phonics m sound?
Start with map, man, mud and mat, then move on to blending words like sum and jam sound by sound before trying the full word list above.
