To understand the difference between analytic phonics and synthetic phonics, you need to understand the methodology behind each approach — and why one consistently delivers better results.
What is Analytic Phonics?
Traditionally, children were taught to read using analytic phonics. This method has children ‘analysing a word’ — taking clues from recognition of the whole word, the initial sound, and the context. In practice, this is a hit-and-miss approach that encourages guessing as a first reading strategy.
It is therefore no surprise that significant numbers of children in English-speaking countries are still failing to learn to read as well as they should:
Sources: NAEP 2024 (USA), NAPLAN 2024–2025 (Australia), UK Department for Education 2024/25 (England).
What is Synthetic Phonics?
Synthetic phonics involves no guessing. It is the synthesising — or blending — of phonemes (sounds) to make a word, enabling children to read from the very start. Children learn the sounds of the English language and how to blend them together, rather than memorising whole words or guessing from pictures and context.
The evidence for synthetic phonics is so compelling that England made it mandatory in every state primary school in 2007, following the landmark Rose Review. A statutory phonics screening check was introduced in 2012 — and England’s international reading ranking has risen from 10th to 4th as a result (PIRLS 2021).
The Key Differences
Importance of Each Sound
Analytic: Emphasis on the initial sound only — e.g. the /s/ of ‘sun’. This works for short words but is problematic for longer words and encourages guessing.
Synthetic: Every phoneme, in every position, matters. We care about the /s/ just as much as the /u/ and the /n/.
Position of Sounds
Analytic: Emphasis on initial sounds, onset, rhyme and word families.
Synthetic: Emphasis on hearing and identifying phonemes in all positions within a word.
Speed of Progress
Analytic: Slow — sometimes as slow as one sound per week. This unnecessarily delays reading progress.
Synthetic: Fast — eight sounds over two weeks, getting children reading right away.
Spelling
Analytic: Spelling is tackled separately from reading.
Synthetic: Children learn that the alphabetic code is reversible — if you can read a word, you can spell it. Reading and spelling are taught together from the start.
Role of Guessing
Analytic: Encourages guessing. The emphasis on initial sounds works for short words that can be guessed, but falls apart with longer words.
Synthetic: The English language is far more logical than people first believe. It doesn’t need guessing for successful reading and spelling — it just needs systematic teaching.
Role of the Alphabet
Analytic: The alphabet is central — concentrating on 26 letters and their corresponding sounds. But consider: ‘place’, ‘kiss’ and ‘sell’ all contain the /s/ phoneme with different spellings.
Synthetic: Letter names are not taught initially. Children learn 44 phonemes and the various ways each can be represented. When they encounter ‘place’, ‘kiss’ and ‘sell’, they understand that the /s/ phoneme has multiple spelling choices: ‘ce’, ‘ss’ and ‘s’.
Exceptions to the Rules
Analytic: Too many exceptions to rules, creating confusion.
Synthetic: Minimal exceptions. Get Reading Right manages irregular high-frequency words in a child-friendly way — as Camera Words.
Pronunciation of Sounds
Analytic: Sounds were often taught incorrectly — e.g. ‘s’ was taught as ‘suh’ rather than the correct ‘ssssss’. Blending doesn’t work easily with incorrect pronunciation.
Synthetic: Correct pronunciation of phonemes is essential. That’s why we produced Pronounce the Phonemes — so teachers and parents start off on the right footing.
Ready to make the switch?
Thousands of schools across 30 countries already use Get Reading Right to teach synthetic phonics with confidence. Browse our resources or try our free materials to see the difference for yourself.