New readers need as much phonemic awareness practice as they can get to build those important skills. These free online phonemic awareness games are the perfect way to provide repetition for kids!
Technology can be such an amazing learning tool if used correctly. I also love to utilize it to practice skills that require a lot of repetition and practice. My kids love it because it’s fun and super engaging. It is a win-win! 🙌
The games I am highlighting here focus on specific phonological and phonemic awareness skills. All of these games are also free to play (as of July 2019)!
Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill

Phonological Awareness VS Phonemic Awareness
Before we get started, do you know the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness?
I used these terms interchangeably for years, but they’re actually quite different.
I’ve explained it all (and even created a little cheat sheet for you) which you can read about here: The Difference Between Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness.
Educational and Appealing Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill
Sound and Word Discrimination
Sound Match
In this interactive game, players practice sound discrimination by matching the beginning sound of the picture in the box with one of the pictures below. The words also populate on the side of the screen as they create matches.
Chicken Coop
This fun game gives players the chance to practice beginning sound discrimination by matching the beginning sound of the picture in the bin to one of the chicken’s nesting boxes. In addition, all words are said aloud as the boxes are highlighted. This keeps any word confusion at bay and allows the player to really listen to how words are the same and different.
Word Gobble
In this (favorite of many of my students) game, players practice sound discrimination by listening to the middle sound in a each word. The monster also gobbles up the correct word after it is clicked followed by many giggles ☺️
Rhyming
Rhyme Time with Sesame Street
Students love to control the train by choosing the correct tunnel in this interactive game. They also practice rhymes by matching the picture in the cloud to a rhyming picture above the tunnel. In between tunnels, they can control the speed of the train which is just a fun bonus. 🚂
Partners in Rhyme
In this rhyming game, players practice by listening the the different words to find the match. They can look at the photos and say the words aloud or click on them to listen to the words read which also helps with vocabulary. 👏
Rhyme Time with FunBrain Jr.
In this engaging game, players match the rhyme the monster thinks of to the one in the net. They also capture rhymes to collect treasure. They can click on the different pictures to hear them said aloud as well.
Syllables
SillyBulls
In this silly syllables game, players listen to the word and move it to the box with the matching number of syllables. Words are in text form but can be listened to rather than read. (Ideally they would be pictures but I haven’t found a good syllable game that features pictures yet. If you have a recommendation, let me know!)
Blending
The Hay Loft
In this blending game, players practice blending words as they listen to a CVC word said in parts. They match the blended word to the picture on the hay bale. I was so excited to find this game because it provides SUCH vital practice that is hard to find elsewhere. 🥳
Online Phonemic Awareness Games
Phoneme Deletion
Pumpkin Patch
In this fun and challenging game, players look at the object in the lamb’s hand. They hear “This word is book. Take the /k/ away. What word do you have?” As they move the mouse over the pumpkins, they hear different word options. This is one we come back to over and over again because phoneme deletion can be TRICKY. So glad this game is available for free! 😍
Phoneme Manipulation
Lanonlin’s Greenhouse
Students love to practice changing phonemes in words to make new words in this game. For example, they are asked to change the /s/ in sock to an /r/ sound. Then they click on the word they made. This is another one we come back to again and again because the repetition is just what we need. 👏
Don’t those games look fun? You may have noticed that several came from the same website. Orson’s Farm, funded by the Indiana Department of Education, is filled with different phonemic awareness activities.
I kept this page pulled up on a computer for centers at the beginning of the year. Students were encouraged to play any of the games on this page.
Online phonemic awareness games are such a fun way to practice these skills after they have been taught. Do you have a favorite way to give your new readers extra phonemic awareness practice? Let me know below! 👇
The Best Phonemic Awareness Resource
Did you know about my best-selling Phonemic Awareness Teacher Task Cards? Take the guess work out of teaching phonemic awareness with these on-the-go scripted task cards.
Use them during guided reading, or even in the few extra minutes before your class needs to be somewhere, and watch your students phonemic awareness acquisition go through the roof!
These are great resources! Many of those games were sites that I wasn’t aware of. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Hi Colby! I’m so glad you found some new website for your students! =)
Wow, you really did it!! Thanks a lot, you are truly amazing. I am sure my students will become better readers.
So glad you liked it, Judene! I know your students will, too. =)