Reading & language · Phonics & sounds

Sound Sanctuary

Sound Sanctuary practises listening to the parts of spoken words. Your child sorts rhyming pictures, counts word beats or compares a word's beginning, middle or ending. Rhyme Families and Rhyme Time focus on matching endings. Sound Start and Sound Hunt offer sound clues. Word Builder changes with the age band and level, moving from spoken beats to blending and arranging three-letter words in the older band.

Play Sound Sanctuary free Ages 2–6 2 of 5 games for ages 2–4, 5 for ages 4–6

Every game is free for every family until 20 November 2026. No card, no payment.

Where to start

For ages 2–4, begin with Word Builder's spoken word beats, then try sorting pictures in Rhyme Families. For ages 4–6, try Rhyme Time for matching endings, then Sound Start for beginning-letter links. Sound Hunt offers ending-sound choices first, with middle vowels and other sound comparisons at later levels.

Every game starts at Seed, level 1, and climbs to Shine. Good play climbs a level; a hard day holds it, and a level earned is never taken away.

The 5 games in Sound Sanctuary

What these games practise

  • Group pictured words by their spoken rhyming endings
  • Count the spoken beats in a word
  • Compare beginning, middle or ending sounds in word examples
  • Blend a beginning sound with a word ending
  • Arrange letters to spell a pictured three-letter word

Try it at home

Draw a cat, hat and cup on a sheet of scrap paper. Say each picture's name together and listen for the two matching endings. Invite your child to point, or point together while you say the pair again. Keep your family's accent.

Not in these games: These games do not practise every English sound or spelling pattern.

Other worlds

See all 44 games