Vocabulary · Lesson 12

The alphabet & spelling

Learn the names of the 26 letters so you can spell a name, understand a booking code, read a fictional email address, and correct one letter on a call. The name of a letter is not always the sound it makes inside a word.

45–55 min coreA–Z letter namesclarify and confirm15–20 min optional practice

NoticeThe letter name vs the sound.

DiscoverGroup letters that rhyme.

BuildSpell names, cities, and words.

UseConfirm a name and email aloud.

Useful phrases for the whole lesson: How do you spell that? · Could you repeat that? · Was that B or V? · B as in Boston. · Let me read it back.

Two-minute retrieval

Bring earlier language into the call

Complete each line from an earlier A0 lesson, then say the full exchange.

1 is your name? (greetings)

2My booking code has the number 13: . (numbers)

3Receptionist: What's your name? Guest: . (introductions)

Notice before the rule

The name of the letter, not the sound

Read each letter name aloud, then read the word next to it:

H: say "aitch," but in hotel it sounds /h/.
W: say "double-u," but in work it sounds /w/.
C: say "see," but in city it sounds /s/, and in cafe it sounds /k/.

When you spell a word out loud, do you say the letter name or the sound? Say the name.
Is the name of a letter always the same as its sound in a word?
When in real life do you need to spell something letter by letter?

The system: vowels, consonants, and rhyming groups

The five main vowel letters are A, E, I, O, U. The letter Y can also represent a vowel sound, as in my and gym. This letter classification helps with spelling, but a letter name and the sounds represented by that letter are different things.

Many letter names rhyme. Grouping them makes them easier to say and to hear on a call:

This sound…	…joins these letters
rhymes with day	A H J K
rhymes with be	B C D E G P T V Z (U.S. English: “zee”)
rhymes with my	I Y
rhymes with go	O
rhymes with you	Q U W
begins with the vowel sound in egg	F L M N S X
its own sound	R (say "ar")

Spelling out loud: the moves you need

Two of the same letter together: say both letters, L-L, or use double L. For information that must be exact, saying each letter separately is safest.
An uppercase letter: capital A or uppercase A. A small letter: lowercase n.
In an email: @ = “at”, . = “dot”, _ = “underscore”, and - = “hyphen” or “dash.” ana_lopez@example.com → ana underscore lopez at example dot com.
Easy to confuse on a call: B / V, E / I, G / J, M / N. Slow down and say a clue word: "B as in Boston."

Pronunciation focus: separate the letter names people confuse

On a call, one small sound can change a name or email address. Say the pair slowly, then add a clue word when the listener is not sure.

pair	clear contrast	repair phrase
B / V	“bee” / “vee”	B as in Boston. V as in Victor.
E / I	E rhymes with “see”; I rhymes with “my.”	E as in email. I as in India.
G / J	G rhymes with “see”; J rhymes with “day.”	G as in golf. J as in Juliet.
M / N	“em” / “en”	M as in Mike. N as in November.

Spell in short groups and pause: S-M-I | T-H. Keep the letter names separate. Put a clear beat on the clue word: B as in BOSton. Let your voice rise when you check: Was that B or V?

In U.S. English, Z is pronounced “zee.” In many other English varieties, you will hear “zed.” Use zee in this course and recognize both.

Clarify, repair, and confirm

A complete spelling exchange is more than saying letters. Use these moves when the information matters:

Ask again: Sorry, could you repeat that?
Check one contrast: Was that B or V?
Repair with a clue: V as in Victor.
Read everything back: Let me read it back: A-N-A.
Confirm or correct: Yes, that's right. / No, the second letter is N.

There is no single universal clue-word list in ordinary calls. Choose a familiar word that clearly begins with the letter. Formal systems may use standardized words such as Victor or November.

Hear the confusable letter names

Keep the script closed while you listen. Your teacher reads each item once, then once more. Choose the one letter you hear.

Listening check: one letter in each code

1Booking code -7

2Room code -2

3File -4

4Gate -9

5Desk -3

6Order -8

7Line -5

8Table -6

Discovery check: which letter name fits the group?

The hint in brackets tells you which sound the letter name rhymes with

1A, H, , K (rhymes with day)

2B, C, D, E, G, P, T, , Z (rhymes with be; Z is “zee”)

3I, (rhymes with my)

4Q, , W (rhymes with you)

5F, L, M, N, , X (begins with the vowel sound in egg)

Spell the word: choose the missing letter

Read the clue, then spell the word in your head. Choose the one letter that completes it.

Drill 1: fill the missing letter

The clue in brackets tells you the word; pick the letter that is missing

1L · O · N · D · · N (a city in England)

2M · · D · R · I · D (the capital of Spain)

3E · M · A · · L (a message you send online)

4N · A · M · (what people call you)

5J · A · · E (a common first name)

6P · A · · I · S (the capital of France)

Match the letter

Drill 2: match each letter to a clue word that starts with it

Tap a letter, then tap a word that begins with that letter. These are the clue words you say on a call.

Build the phrase, then say it

Drill 3: build the question

You did not catch a word on a call. Ask for the spelling, then say it aloud.

Drill 4: build the request

You are filling in a form for someone. Ask them politely. Then say it.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 5: fix the misspelled city

Someone spelled the city Barcelona out loud. Tap the letter that is wrong.

Drill 6: fix the misspelled name

Someone spelled the name Daniel out loud. Tap the letter that does not belong.

Drill 7: say the word, then spell it aloud

Spell each one out loud, letter by letter, before you reveal. Use double where two letters repeat.

1 a common last name → spell Smith

S-M-I-T-H

2 a last name with a repeated letter → spell Miller

M-I-L-L-E-R, or M-I-double-L-E-R

3 a city → spell Tokyo

T-O-K-Y-O

4 a fictional email address → read ana_lopez@example.com aloud

ana underscore lopez at example dot com

5 a name with a capital → spell Ng

capital N, lowercase G

Read and choose

Spelling on the phone

“Can you spell your last name, please?” “Yes. It’s Reyes: R-E-Y-E-S.” “Thank you. And your first name?” “Marco: M-A-R-C-O.” “Let me read it back. Your email is marco@example.com, right?” “Yes, that’s right.”

Read, then choose

1. What is the last name?

2. How many letters are in the first name?

3. What does the person check at the end?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Checking in by phone

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Phone call77 wordsAbout 1 min

Clerk: Good afternoon, Sun Hotel. What is your name, please?

Guest: It’s Nadia Bell.

Clerk: How do you spell your last name?

Guest: B as in Boston, E as in email, L, L.

Clerk: Thank you. And your first name?

Guest: N as in November, A, D, I, A.

Clerk: Let me read it back: N-A-D-I-A B-E-L-L. Your booking code is V7, right?

Guest: Yes. V as in Victor, then seven.

Clerk: Great. See you on Friday!

Find it

Tap the 4 clue words that come after as in.

Check your understanding

1. What is the guest’s last name?

2. What is the booking code?

3. When is the guest at the hotel?

Crossword

Call words

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Word search

Clue words

Find the word for each clue. Words run across or down. Tap the first letter, then the last.

B as in ___ (a U.S. city) → ?
V as in ___ (a man’s name) → ?
G as in ___ (a sport) → ?
J as in ___ (a woman’s name) → ?
M as in ___ (a short man’s name) → ?
N as in ___ (a month) → ?
E as in ___ (a message you send online) → ?

Unscramble

Spell the travel word

Tap the letters in order to spell the word. Tap a placed letter to send it back.

1. a place where you stay on a trip
2. you need this for a train or a show
3. where you take a train
4. where planes arrive and leave
5. street, number, and city

Use it in real life

Privacy: use invented names, codes, and the reserved domain example.com for practice. Do not share real contact information or account details.

A name on a call: Invent a first and last name. Say the name, then spell it letter by letter. Use a clue word if one letter is hard: M as in Mike.

A city: Choose a city and spell it slowly. Your teacher writes it down and reads it back. Confirm or correct one letter.

A fictional email: Create an address at example.com. Read it aloud using at, dot, underscore, or hyphen. Your teacher types it and reads it back.

Filling a form: Role-play a front desk. One person asks "Can you spell your last name?" and "How do you spell that?"; the other answers. Then switch.

Information gap: Your teacher spells a city or name out loud once. Write it, then read it back to confirm. Repeat with harder words until both versions match.

Final production: front-desk spelling repair

Role-play a 60-second hotel or office check-in. The guest gives an invented name, a fictional email at example.com, and a booking code with one letter and two digits. The receptionist asks for spelling, deliberately confuses one letter, and reads everything back. Then switch roles.

Success criteria: spell in short groups; use one as in clue; ask Could you repeat that? or Was that B or V?; read the full information back; and confirm or correct it clearly.

Reflect

Check yourself

Say the answers aloud: “The five main vowel letters are ______, ______, ______, ______, and ______. The letter ______ can also represent a vowel sound. To ask for a spelling I say ‘How do you ______ that?’ To check one contrast I ask ‘Was that ______ or ______?’”

Then spell an invented last name slowly, use one clue word, and ask your teacher to read it back.

Final quiz: choose the correct spelling

1. How do you spell the last name Smith?

2. Which is the correct spelling of the city London?

3. A, E, I, O, and U are the five main ___ letters.

4. You did not catch a word on a call. What do you say?

5. Which option gives every letter in Miller separately?

6. How do you read the fictional email ana@example.com aloud?

7. You are describing uppercase and lowercase letters on a form. How do you describe An?

8. Which is the correct spelling of the name Daniel?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then practice only the letters and repair moves that still feel slow.

Next-day retrieval

Keep the main lesson closed. Retrieve the letter contrasts and communication moves from memory.

Choose the exact spelling move

1In U.S. English, the letter Z is pronounced .

2You did not hear the code. Ask: “Could you that?”

3You are unsure about one letter. Ask: “Was that ?”

4The symbols @, ., _ are read as .

Repair the clue word

A guest spells the name Victor: “D as in Victor, I-C-T-O-R.” Tap the letter that does not match the clue word.

Say it without choices

Spell Miller. Read ana_lopez@example.com. Then ask for one unclear letter, repair it with as in, and read the whole item back.

Thirty-second production

Give an invented name and a booking code with one letter and two digits. Your teacher deliberately repeats one letter incorrectly. Correct that letter, then confirm the complete information.