Listening: Basic Auditory Perception & Discrimination A1 - Lesson 2: Recognizing Letters of the Alphabet by Sound

Listening A1: Recognizing Letters of the Alphabet by Sound

Welcome to lesson two! Today, we will learn the sounds of the English alphabet¹. Knowing these sounds is very important when you need to spell² your name for a hotel booking in Siem Reap, or when you ask someone to spell their name.

1. The /iː/ (ee) Sound Group

Many letters in English end with a long "ee" sound, like in the word "see". Listen carefully to this group.

B

C

D

E

G

P

T

V

Z

2. The /eɪ/ (ay) Sound Group

These letters have an "ay" sound, like in the word "day".

A

J

K

3. The /ɛ/ (eh) Sound Group

This group starts with a short 'eh' sound, like in the word 'egg'. Listen for the 'eh' at the beginning of each letter's name.

F

L

M

N

S

X

4. Other Key Letter Sounds

Some letters have unique sounds. Let's practice them.

H

I

O

Q

R

U

W

Y

For Khmer speakers, remember the English 'R' sound is made with the tongue back, not vibrating at the front like in Khmer.

Practice Quiz: Listen and Write

Your teacher will say the sound of a letter. Write the capital letter you hear.

1. Teacher says: "jee" -> You write: _____
2. Teacher says: "jay" -> You write: _____
3. Teacher says: "enn" -> You write: _____
4. Teacher says: "vee" -> You write: _____
5. Teacher says: "why" -> You write: _____

Click to Show Answers

Answers: G, J, N, V, Y

Homework Task

1. Spell Your Name: Use your phone to record yourself spelling your first name and your family name. Example: "Sok... S... O... K." Listen to see if the sounds are clear.

2. Listen to the ABC Song: Search online for "The ABC Song" and listen to it two or three times. This is a great way to remember the sounds.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Alphabet (noun) - [Khmer: អក្ខរក្រម] - The set of all letters used to write a language (A, B, C...). ↩
2. Spell (verb) - [Khmer: ប្រកប] - To say or write the letters of a word in the correct order. ↩