Learning Worksheets Phonics Letter E sound
Free printable PDF · beginning sounds · ages 3–5
Letter E Sound Worksheet: Beginning Sound /e/ (Free PDF)
Egg, elephant, elf and envelope: the short e sound is quick and slightly soft, and it is the vowel in words like bed, pen and red.
Inside the letter E PDF
- Trace E and e beside a egg.
- Circle the elephant, elf, envelope and elevator among 12 pictures.
- Join four pictures to their first letters.
- Answers and picture names on page 2.
Saying /e/ clearly
Smile a little, open your mouth halfway and say a short /e/, as in egg. Keep your tongue low and relaxed and stop the sound quickly.
Teaching /e/ step by step
Short e can sound close to short i, so practise in a mirror. Say egg and itch, and look at how the mouth is a bit wider for /e/. Then take turns pretending to crack an egg each time you hear /e/ at the start of a word. Keep the list short and fun: egg, elephant, elf, and a couple of non-e words to spot.
Words that start with /e/
Egg, elf, elbow, echo, end, exit, empty, envelope.
Common mix-ups
The short /e/ and short /i/ sounds are easy to confuse, especially in some accents. If your child mixes them up, say pairs like pen and pin slowly and let them watch your mouth.
Game: Elephant echo
Stand at opposite ends of a room. You trumpet a word like an elephant, and your child echoes it back only if it starts with /e/. If it does not, they flap their elephant ears instead.
Around the house
Eggs at breakfast, elbows on the table, the exit sign at the shop: point to the /e/ as you notice it.
Say it fast
Eddie the elf has eggs in an envelope.
Writing the letter e
Say /e/ while forming the letter on our capital E and small e sheets. Older children can try joined-up cursive e. Then read short e words like bed and hen on the short e CVC words page.
What to try next
Ready for more? letter f and letter g are next in the alphabet. Once most letter sounds are secure, blend them into CVC words.
Letter E sound questions
Why are there only a few pictures for e?
Fewer common, easy-to-picture words start with the short e sound than with most other letters. Four clear targets are better than tricky ones.
Does e have other sounds?
Yes. It says its name in words like me and he, and it is often silent at the end of a word, like in cake. Start with the short /e/ of egg.
More answers in the phonics FAQ.
More Letter Sound Worksheets
Also try: CVC words · sight words · alphabet tracing