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Turn your phonics word lists into screening check flashcards

There is no ready-made printable set here. DeckOwl builds cards from the word lists, scheme sheets or photos you already have, so practice matches what your pupils are learning.

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How to practise for the check with your own cards

Pupils in Year 1 sit the phonics screening check to show they can decode words using letter sounds. Practice is most useful when it uses the same kinds of words they will meet, including real words and made-up pseudo-words that follow phonics rules.

Make cards for individual graphemes such as ai, igh and ough, with one example word each.
Include pseudo-words so decoding is practised, not just memorised word recognition.
Review cards weekly and remove any the pupil already reads without help.
Keep sessions short, around ten minutes, and return to missed cards the next day.

Example phonics screening check flashcards

What is a grapheme?A letter or group of letters that represents one phoneme, such as 'sh' or 'igh'.

What is a pseudo-word in the phonics screening check?A made-up word that follows phonics rules, such as 'zib', so pupils must decode it rather than recall it.

Which grapheme makes the /aɪ/ sound in 'night'?'igh', a trigraph where three letters represent one sound.

What is a digraph?Two letters that together represent one sound, such as 'ch' in 'chip' or 'oo' in 'moon'.

What sound does 'ee' make in 'sheep'?The long e sound /iː/, made by the vowel digraph 'ee' in one sound.

Generate the full set

Built from your material

Upload a PDF, slides, notes or a photo of a phonics sheet. The text is read and turned into cards you can check before you study.

Spaced repetition

Cards you find hard come back sooner, so pupils or your own revision focus on the graphemes and words that need more practice.

Study in the browser

The free plan lets you study cards in the browser with 3 generations per month. No credit card is needed to start.

How it works

Add your word lists

Upload a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text file or a photo of a page. Real words and pseudo-words both work.

Review the flashcards

Check each question and answer, and remove or edit any card that does not match the grapheme or sound you are teaching.

Practise with spaced repetition

Study a little every day. Cards you miss return more often until they stick.

Start with the sounds your class has covered recently, then mix in older ones so earlier learning stays fresh. Short sessions, repeated often, usually do more than one long cram. Cards you export as PDF or CSV can be printed for a group, and the browser study mode works well for home practice.

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Frequently asked questions

How many flashcards should I make for the phonics screening check?

Start with the sounds your class has covered, then add cards for the real and pseudo-words from your practice lists. A few dozen well-chosen cards are usually more useful than a very long deck.

Are the pseudo-words in the check real words?

No. Pseudo-words are made-up words such as 'zib' that follow phonics rules, so pupils must decode them rather than recall a known word. Practising with them builds the same skill the check measures.

Can I print these flashcards?

Printing needs an export, and PDF and CSV export are included in the Plus plan at $39/year or $7.99/month. The free plan lets you study in the browser with 3 generations per month.

Does DeckOwl include ready-made phonics screening check cards?

No. Cards are generated from your own material, such as a word list, a scheme PDF or a photo of a page, so they match what your class is learning. You can review every card before using it.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.