Overview
Puzzle words (also called sight words or non-phonetic words) cannot be fully decoded phonetically (e.g. "the", "said", "to"). The child learns these through repetition, tracing, and matching activities. This material is introduced after the child has a solid phonetic foundation and begins encountering these words in early reading materials.
Objectives
What the child gains from this work
Recognize and read common irregular puzzle words on sight. Understand that some words do not follow phonetic rules. Develop visual memory for word shapes. Increase reading fluency by mastering high-frequency words. Build confidence when encountering non-phonetic text.
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