Teaching ABCs: Is There a "Right" Order?

Should I teach the alphabets starting from A to Z?

Most phonics books in Korea start from A to Z. But I find it really slow although it does teach lots of vocabulary words but I want speedy progress as a hagwon owner. I want to show output to parents as soon as possible.

So I have done research about which order is the best. I also tried them in my class and after 6 years, I have made a conclusion.

But first let's compare the 3 different orders that are commonly used.

Alphabet Order vs. SATPIN vs. Custom Order (b, m, t...)

Alphabetical Order (A–Z)

Pros:

Familiar and traditional (e.g., ABC songs, alphabet books)
Easy for parents and teachers to follow

Cons:

Not optimized for early blending
Many letters are hard to blend or rarely used early (e.g., q, x, z)
Slower reading progress

SATPIN Order (s, a, t, p, i, n)

This is the most widely recommended starting sequence for synthetic phonics programs like Jolly Phonics, Letters and Sounds (UK), and others.

Pros:

Allows kids to blend early (sat, pin, tap, pat, tin, sip, etc.)
High-frequency sounds in English
Encourages reading real words quickly

Cons:

May seem "random" to those unfamiliar with phonics methodology
Some educators may initially find it counterintuitive

Custom Order b, m, t, d, s, p, n, c, k

Pros:

Mostly common consonants
Blending-friendly (bat, mat, sad, etc.)
Logical groupings of sounds (some voiced/unvoiced pairs like p/b, t/d)

Cons:

Slower path to full blending flexibility
Less flexible than SATPIN for early word combinations
Doesn’t include a vowel immediately (SATPIN includes a early)

Best Practice Recommendation:

1. Start with the SATPIN order if your goal is to:

▪︎Get kids reading real CVC words quickly
▪︎Build early confidence in decoding

▪︎Align with well-established phonics frameworks

2. Suggested first 6–10 letters in order of introduction:

s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, o, g

(After these, you can make: dog, mad, tip, pan, dig, mop, etc.)

3. Then continue with:

c, k, e, u, r, h, b, f, l, j, v, w, x, y, z, qu:

Conclusion:

Use SATPIN for best blending opportunities and faster reading development.
Alphabet order is good for letter recognition, but not ideal for learning to read.
Custom Order b, m, t, d, is not wrong — but SATPIN gives quicker early reading success.

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