In English, the same letters often make completely different sounds. This makes learning to read confusing for many children.
The OpenWayEnglish system makes the hidden sounds of English visible by using color. Each color shows a different sound. Letters that always sound the same stay black. Silent letters are shown as empty outlines.
This simple system helps children connect letters to sounds quickly and clearly.
In English, the same letters often make completely different sounds. This makes learning to read confusing for many children.
The OpenWayEnglish system makes the hidden sounds of English visible by using color. Each color shows a different sound. Letters that always sound the same stay black. Silent letters are shown as empty outlines.
This simple system helps children connect letters to sounds quickly and clearly.
How It Works
- Words are shown in color to match their sounds.
- Children start by learning to see the sound through color.
- As their skill grows, the color support is gradually removed.
Over time, they begin reading normally—but with much more confidence.
The OpenWayEnglish Stages
The system is designed to guide learners from sound-color recognition to fluent reading. It unfolds in clearly structured Stages:
Stage 1: Learn to associate color with sound
Stage 2: Learn to associate sound with color
Stage 3: Learn to associate sound with colored vowels
Stage 4: Learn to associate colored vowels with sound
Stage 5: Learn the basic sounds of consonants
Stage 6: Learn to associate color and sound with consonant-vowel, vowel-vowel, or consonant-consonant pairs
Stage 7: Learn to read 3-letter words with sound and color
Stage 8: Learn to read 4-letter words with sound and color
…and so on, eventually leading to reading full sentences and short stories — first with color cues, and ultimately without them.
The system can expand to include 50, 60, 100+ Stages, matching a child’s growing ability.
Want to see the system in action, click here!
https://openwayenglish.org/openway-digital-projects/
Or learn about our first learning game: Phoneme Island