For grown-ups supporting Reception and Year 1 in England

Free printable letter cards

Download 26 lowercase and capital pairs, four blank letter-group cards and a build-a-word sheet. Use a few familiar letters for a short game, following the school's phonics programme.

Download free letter cards (PDF)

Seven A4 pages · No account or email address needed

Last reviewed 11 September 2026

What is in the printable pack?

Page 1 is an adult guide. Pages 2–6 contain six cards each: all 26 alphabet pairs plus four blanks. Page 7 is the activity sheet. Print single-sided on A4 at 100% or actual size. Plain paper is fine; light card can last longer if your printer accepts it.

An adult should cut along the card outlines. For separate lowercase and capital cards, also cut down each pair's centre line. Keep unused cards together; there is no need to lay out the whole alphabet.

Preview the alphabet pairs

The alphabetical order makes cards easy to find; it is not a teaching sequence. Choose letters already taught at school. The clear Andika lettering uses single-storey a and g. Ask your teacher about the letter shapes used for handwriting.

Lowercase a, capital A
Lowercase b, capital B
Lowercase c, capital C
Lowercase d, capital D
Lowercase e, capital E
Lowercase f, capital F
Lowercase g, capital G
Lowercase h, capital H
Lowercase i, capital I
Lowercase j, capital J
Lowercase k, capital K
Lowercase l, capital L
Lowercase m, capital M
Lowercase n, capital N
Lowercase o, capital O
Lowercase p, capital P
Lowercase q, capital Q
Lowercase r, capital R
Lowercase s, capital S
Lowercase t, capital T
Lowercase u, capital U
Lowercase v, capital V
Lowercase w, capital W
Lowercase x, capital X
Lowercase y, capital Y
Lowercase z, capital Z

Letter names or sounds: what should I say?

A letter name identifies a letter: m is called “em”. A phoneme is a speech sound, such as /m/ at the start of map. A grapheme is a letter or group of letters representing a sound. For reading and spelling, use the sounds and routines your teacher has introduced; practise letter names separately when that is the task.

A “pure” consonant sound avoids an extra “uh” on the end: /m/, rather than “muh”. Sounds such as /m/, /s/ and /f/ can be sustained. Others, including /p/ and /t/, are short and clipped. Do not try to stretch these stop sounds. Listen to the school's examples before modelling an unfamiliar sound.

These cards are not a one-sound-per-letter chart. For example, q usually appears with u: qu in queen represents /k/ followed by /w/. The letter x commonly represents /k/ followed by /s/, as in box. Both examples contain two speech sounds, not one.

Oxford Owl phonics and pronunciation help for adults

Three short activities with familiar letters

Find the letter
Put out three taught letters. Say one familiar sound and invite your child to point to its letter. Swap places and repeat. If they hesitate, show the answer calmly, then let them choose which card you should find.
Match the two forms
Cut two or three pairs into separate lowercase and capital cards. Mix them and find the matching forms. Say the letter names for this activity. Keep an uncut sheet nearby to check together; it is a matching game, not a speed test.
Build, blend, change
If s, a, t and m are already taught, say sat, hear its sounds and build it. Point, blend and read it back, then change s to m. Use the large cards beside the activity sheet, not inside its boxes. Writing is optional.

Start where your child is

England's Early Years Foundation Stage framework, effective September 2026, includes literacy goals for the end of Reception. They are not entry requirements. Ask the teacher which sounds, letter groups and words to revisit now. A child starting school does not need to work through all these cards first. Stop while the activity still feels manageable.

Questions about the letter cards

Are these letter cards free?

Yes. Download and print the seven-page PDF without an account, email address or payment. You can print just the card pages you need.

Should we start with lowercase or capital letters?

Follow your teacher's guidance. Lowercase letters appear most often in everyday reading. The paired capitals help children recognise another form of the same letter.

Does every letter have one sound?

No. Letters can represent different sounds in different words, and groups of letters can represent one sound. This alphabet pack is not a complete phonics programme.

Can we use the blank cards for digraphs?

Yes. A digraph is two letters representing one sound, such as sh in ship. Write a letter group already taught at school on one blank card.

What if my child cannot remember a sound?

Say it together, show the matching taught letter or group and try one familiar word. Put uncertain cards aside and ask the teacher what to revisit.

Do we have to write on the activity sheet?

No. Build words with cards beside the sheet. Writing in its sound boxes is optional; use fewer boxes when appropriate and stop before your child becomes tired.

Sources and next steps

Guidance checked against these England curriculum sources on 11 September 2026. This printable supports practice alongside teaching, rather than replacing a school's programme.