Support Every Student. Improve Outcomes. Reduce Frustration.
Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish is a breakthrough tool for teachers, schools, and universities. It’s designed to make reading simpler to teach and easier to learn, without changing how English is spoken or written.
Based on the science of Human Cognitive Architecture and Cognitive Load Theory, Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish has been developed in collaboration with UNSW Emeritus Professor John Sweller, the founder of Cognitive Load Theory. He and our founder, Christopher Stephen, have co-authored a paper explaining how this system improves how English is taught and learned.
Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish is not a replacement for teachers—it’s a powerful complement to your current curriculum.
What is Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish
Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish keeps standard English spelling, but adds superscript sound characters to each letter. These superscripts show exactly how to pronounce each part of a word, using the 42 sounds (phonemes) of English.
What It Matters
- English has only 26 letters, but 42 sounds—and many letters represent multiple sounds depending on the word.
- For example, the letter “u” makes seven different sounds in these common words:
- √bus (/ʌ/), √bū…rý (/ɛ/), √bűş…ý (/ɪ/), pùt (/ʊ/), qüick (/w/ as part of “qu”), ůşe (/juː/), frñit (/uː/)
- Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish removes the guesswork. With superscripts, students know exactly what sound to say, without having to memorize exceptions, silent letters, or spelling rules.
- And because standard spelling stays the same, students recognize the shape of each word—so they can transition naturally to reading standard English texts.