The Code Mapping® Tool
Powered by Ortho-GraphiX®
Show the Code: Graphemes Made Visible
Each word is segmented into graphemes, not individual letters. Powered by Ortho-GraphiX® A grapheme is the letter or group of letters that represents one speech sound (phoneme). Every letter in the word belongs to a grapheme. Alternating colours show where one grapheme ends and the next begins, so the structure of the word can be seen at a glance. The first grapheme is black, the next is grey, and this pattern continues across the page. Split digraphs are shown in blue. To see the phonemes, use the MyWordz® Technology, where the Phonemies® reveal each sound value.
Graphemes are underlined to show which letters represent the phonemes (sounds) Download sentences to use within Spelling Simplified!
"As much explicit phonics instruction as they need. No more."
The purpose of explicit, systematic phonics instruction is not to teach every grapheme-to-phoneme correspondence in English. It is to teach enough of the Core Code for at least 80% of children to become self-teachers before Year 1, leaving no more than 20% requiring further explicit code-level support.
That can only happen if teachers understand bidirectional word mapping beyond the content of a phonics programme.
The image illustrates exactly why this matters. My job is to ensure that teachers can map words for decoding and encoding (spelling) according to the definition used by the DfE (England) and increasingly adopted overseas.
If teachers can accurately identify the graphemes in any word and map them to the phonemes, they have the knowledge needed to support children beyond the taught Core Code and into the self-teaching phase.
As much explicit instruction as they need. No more.
The DfE expects word mapping to be the strategy used to help children decode and spell (encode) all words throughout the day, across all year groups, that is, applying phonics knowledge. All primary teachers are therefore expected to be able to identify which letters form graphemes and their corresponding sound (phoneme) value in all words.
National guidance defines early word reading and spelling in terms of the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters. This framing applies to all words, including those often described in classroom practice as ‘tricky’ or irregular, where correspondences may be less transparent but still require coordination between phonemes and graphemes.
The Reading Framework states: “Understanding that the letters on the page represent the sounds in spoken words underpins successful word reading. Pupils’ knowledge of the English alphabetic code, how letters or groups of letters represent the sounds of the language, supports their reading and spelling.” (Department for Education, 2023)
The same document further states: “This guidance explains why teachers themselves also need to understand the alphabetic code: evidence supports the key role of phonic knowledge and skills in early reading and spelling.” (Department for Education, 2023) We offer tips, resources and training relating to this in Reform 2
In reading, pupils are taught to decode by identifying graphemes in written words from left to right, saying the corresponding phonemes, and blending those phonemes to say the whole word (Department for Education, 2023, p. 47).
In spelling, pupils are taught to say a word clearly, segment it into phonemes, and select graphemes to represent each phoneme in writing (Department for Education, Writing Framework, 2025, p. 41). Statutory spelling guidance further states that teachers should draw pupils’ attention to grapheme–phoneme correspondences that both do and do not fit with what has been taught so far (Department for Education, Spelling Framework, p. 75).
The DfE expects teachers to extend programmes and apply phonics to all words, in all year groups, so that children continue to learn correspondences that have not yet been taught. So there is a clear gap between what programmes teach and the code knowledge needed to read and spell words in KS1 and KS2, let alone KS3 and KS4. To learn the whole alphabetic code children need to transition into the self-teaching phase.
Phonics Reform England (PRE)
