Sounds, Letters, and Learning: Phonics vs. Pronunciation for ESL Teachers

Teaching phonics and teaching pronunciation both focus on sounds, but they have different goals, methods, and outcomes, especially for second language (L2) learners. Here’s a clear comparison you can use for developing activities and applying teaching strategies.

1. Primary Goal

Phonics

• To help learners decode written words (reading)

• To help learners encode sounds into letters (spelling)

• Main question: “How do letters represent sounds in print?”

Pronunciation

• To help learners produce and understand spoken language

• To improve intelligibility, stress, rhythm, and connected speech

• Main question: “How do sounds work in real speech?”

👉 Key difference: Phonics is print-based; pronunciation is speech-based.

2. Typical Learners

Phonics

• Young native speaking English learners who can already pronounce words words clearly through exposure to spoken English

• Young L2 learners learning to read while acquiring English orally

• Adults with low literacy in their first language or new to the Roman alphabet despite being able to speak the language

Pronunciation

• Adolescent and adult L2 learners because they are likely to learn English in both the written and spoken modes and already know spelling

• Learners who can already read but want clearer speech

• Multilingual learners with established literacy

  
  

3. Focus of Instruction

Phonics focuses on:

• Letter–sound correspondences

• Spelling patterns (CVC, CV, CVC-E, vowel teams)

• Syllable types and decoding strategies. The Eduling app shares 10 syllable patterns.

Pronunciation focuses on:

• Individual sounds (phonemes). (The Eduling app shares handouts and explanations of these phonemes).

• Word stress and sentence stress

• Rhythm, intonation, and connected speech

• Sound contrasts that affect meaning

4. Teaching Methods

Phonics

• Sounding out words

• Blending and segmenting

• Matching sounds to letters

• Reading and spelling practice

Example activity: Tap the sounds in cat → /k/ /æ/ /t/ → blend

Pronunciation

• Listening discrimination

• Repetition and shadowing

• Minimal pairs

• Mouth positioning and airflow

• Communicative tasks

Example activity: Listen and choose: ship or sheep

5. Role of Rules and Patterns

Phonics

• Uses patterns and generalizations

• Rules are tools, not facts to memorize

• Helps predict pronunciation from spelling

Pronunciation

• Fewer “rules”; more patterns and tendencies

• Focus on what actually happens in speech

• Accounts for variation and accent with a focus on international intelligibility

6. Use of Phonics in Pronunciation Teaching

Phonics can support pronunciation, but it is not sufficient on its own.

Helpful when:

• Teaching clearer articulation by having learners enunciate all of the sounds: c-a-t or pl-ay-ed with the blending technique.

• Teaching long vowels including diphthongs

• Explaining spelling–sound mismatches

• Supporting decoding during reading aloud to those with low literacy

  
  

Limited because:

• English spelling is inconsistent

• Many pronunciation features (stress, rhythm, reduction) are not visible in print

7. Common Challenges for L2 Learners

With Phonics

• Assuming one letter = one sound

• Over-relying on spelling for pronunciation

• Applying phonics rules too rigidly

With Pronunciation

• Transferring sounds from L1

• Difficulty hearing contrasts

• Stress and rhythm differences across languages

Final takeaway

Phonics helps learners crack the code of written English. Pronunciation helps learners be understood in spoken English.

For second language learners, the most effective instruction uses both in a flexible and international manner, and for the right purpose. It's also important to prioritize meaning in the sense that it does NOT make SENSE to teach phonics patterns or pronunciation of words whose meaning learners do not know.

The Pronunciation for Teachers course on the Eduling app focuses on the sound systems and pronunciation features of English while introducing phonics patterns that can be used for some pronunciation activities. It also introduces many techniques to practice and teach pronunciation beyond typical listen-and-repeat or read-aloud activities. Access the course here. Eduling also offers live pronunciation workshops and 1-1 learning options with experienced teachers here.