The phonics s sound is the very first letter sound most children meet in Jolly Phonics. It opens Group 1 — s, a, t, i, p, n — the set of sounds taught in the first weeks of Reception or kindergarten, around age 4.
Because it’s the starting point of the whole program, getting this one right matters. Below you’ll find the official action, a cue song idea, word lists split by position, four quick activities, and a free tracing worksheet you can run through with your child in about fifteen minutes.
Saying /s/ the Jolly Phonics Way
/s/ is a voiceless, continuous hissing sound. Keep the teeth almost together, rest the tongue tip just behind the top teeth, and push air out steadily — the throat should not buzz at all. The Jolly Phonics action is to weave your hand through the air in an S shape, like a slithering snake, while saying ssss. A simple cue song works well too: sing “sss, sss, sss, like a snake in the grass” to any tune your child already knows, holding the hiss as long as their breath lasts.
The easiest sound to confuse /s/ with is z, its voiced twin — touch your throat while saying each one, and your child will feel z buzz where /s/ stays silent. Sh can also sound similar at first; it’s rounder and softer, like asking someone to be quiet, while /s/ stays flat and hissy.
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.
Story Time: A Snake in the Grass
Danny was building a block tower when his sister Julia decided to play a trick on him. She grabbed her toy snake from the toy basket, crept up behind the couch, and hissed, “sssss, sssss.” Danny spun around just as the snake popped into view — but instead of jumping, he laughed, because he had already guessed the sound. “Sneaky snakes always say sssss,” he told her, and from then on the two of them hissed like snakes every time the toy came out to play.
Practice Words for the /s/ Sound
Once your child can make the sound on cue, move on to hearing it inside real words. Here are simple lists to read together.
Words that begin with /s/
- sun
- sit
- sock
- six
- soap
- sand
- seed
- sad
Words with /s/ in the middle
- whisper
- listen
- wasp
- basket
- lesson
- castle
Words that end with /s/
- bus
- gas
- yes
- kiss
- grass
- mess
- dress
- plus
Try blending these sounds together, one letter at a time: s-u-n → sun, s-i-t → sit, s-a-d → sad, s-i-p → sip.
Watch-out words: the letter s doesn’t always make the /s/ sound. In is, his and dogs, it actually makes a /z/ sound instead. Point this out once your child is confident with the basic sound.
Four Quick /s/ Activities to Try Today
- Sound hunt (2 minutes): walk around the house and find three things whose name starts with /s/, such as sock, spoon and soap.
- Listen and mark (3 minutes): use the game picture below, say each word slowly, and ask your child to mark it only when they hear /s/ at the start.
- Trace and say (5 minutes): use the tracing worksheet further down the page, saying ssss every time the pencil moves.
- Blend the flashcards (5 minutes): line up the letter cards below to build the word sun, saying each sound before blending them together.
For the blending activity, use these three flashcards to spell out sun, one sound at a time. You’ll find the full set on our phase 2 phonics flashcards page.
Free Letter S Tracing Worksheet
Here’s the letter s tracing worksheet to practice: Free!- Printable Letter S s Tracing Worksheets
for more tracing worksheets: tracing letter worksheets
This printable pairs an animal outline with guided letter-tracing practice — a good next step once your child can already form the shape of s on their own.
Watch: How to Say /s/
Where /s/ Sits in the Jolly Phonics Sequence
As the very first sound in Group 1, /s/ doesn’t have a sound before it — it’s where the Jolly Phonics program begins. Next in line is the /a/ sound. For the full teaching order across all 42 sounds, see the Jolly Phonics complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
What age do children usually learn the /s/ sound?
Most children meet /s/ in the first weeks of Reception or kindergarten, around age 4, since it’s the first sound taught in Jolly Phonics Group 1.
What is the Jolly Phonics action for /s/?
Weave your hand through the air in an S shape, like a slithering snake, while making a long ssss sound.
How do I tell /s/ and /z/ apart?
Touch your throat while saying each sound. /z/ makes the throat buzz because it is voiced, while /s/ produces no buzz because it is voiceless.
Which sound comes after /s/ in Jolly Phonics?
The /a/ sound comes next in Group 1, followed by t, i, p and n to complete the first six letter sounds.
