Reading Roots: What we've lost & How to Rebuild

If your child has come home talking about reading “silly words” like fip or vasp, you might have wondered: What’s the point?

You’re not alone. Many parents see these nonsense words and think they’re just a confusing school exercise. Many teachers worry they’re being misused.

But when used correctly, these made-up words are one of the most powerful tools we have to understand how a child is learning to read—not just what they’ve memorized.

Here’s the simple truth. These words are designed to answer one critical question:

Is my child guessing, or is she using a reliable strategy to sound it out?

Let’s break down why that matters for every family: The Memory Shortcut vs. The Sounding-Out Strategy.

Imagine two children reading the word “ship.”

• Child A (Memory Shortcut): Reads it instantly. She might recognize it from her favorite book about pirates.
• Child B (Sounding Out Strategy) pauses, points under the letters, and whispers: “/sh/… /i/… /p/… ship.”

Both read it correctly. But Child B has just shown us something more valuable: the reliable strategy to sound out any new word she meets.

Now, what if the word is “fip”? There’s no pirate story for “fip.” You can’t guess it from a picture. The only way to read it is to use that sounding-out strategy: */f/ /i/ /p/.*

That’s the entire purpose of “silly words.” They remove the shortcuts of memory and context. They help the teacher see if your child has the toolkit to tackle words they’ve never seen before—which is the whole goal of learning to read.

Think of it like this:

• Reading a familiar word is like playing a song on the piano you’ve practiced a hundred times.
• Reading a nonsense word is like sight-reading a brand new piece of music. It tests the skill itself.

What Makes a Good "Silly Word" Check? (And What Makes a Bad one)?

Not all checks are created equal. A good one gives clear, helpful information. A poorly designed one just causes confusion.

A good check uses words built only from sounds your child has already learned.

For example, if your child knows the sounds for s, a, t, p, i, f, and *n*, a good check might use words like sat, pin, or fip. If they get it wrong, the teacher knows exactly which sound or blending skill to re-teach.

A poor check uses confusing, random combinations.

Words like “zlerm” or “kight” (if the ‘igh’ pattern hasn’t been taught) are unfair. They don’t test reading skill—they just test a child’s tolerance for confusion. 

When a child misses these, we learn nothing useful about what to do next.

The takeaway for parents: It’s fair to ask your teacher, “Are the made-up words on the check based on the phonics rules my child has already been taught in class?” The answer should be yes.

"What Teachers Should Look For (And What Parents Can Too) When a child reads these words, the score is less important than the process. 

Two children can achieve the same score and require very different levels of support. Everyone should watch for:

• The Point and Whisper: Do they touch the letters and say the sounds quietly before saying the whole word? This is great! It shows the sounding-out strategy.
• The Confident Mistake: Do they quickly say “fit” for “fip”? This might mean they’re guessing based on the first letter instead of looking at the whole word.
• The Freeze: Do they look stuck and silent? They might not know the vowel sound (in this case, the short *i*) or how to blend the sounds together.

The goal is accuracy and strategy, not speed. A careful, sound-by-sound reader builds a stronger foundation than a quick guesser.

3 Questions Parents Can Ask (And What It All Means for Your Child)

“Does this mean my child failed?”

• No. This is a thermometer, not a test. A thermometer tells you if you have a fever, so you know how to care for it. This check tells us exactly what your child knows and what skill to work on next. It’s information, not a judgment.

“What can I do at home?”

• Ask the teacher: “Which sounds or patterns did my child work on during the check?” Then, you can gently reinforce them. When reading together, pause on a short word that uses that sound and ask, “Can you help me sound this out?” Keep it light and positive—just a minute or two.

“Why not just use real words?”

• We use plenty of real words! But mixing in a few made-up words ensures we’re measuring the skill of decoding, not just a great memory. We want to build readers who can tackle “photosynthesis” in 5th grade, not just remember words from 1st-grade stories.

The Heart of the Matter

These “silly words” are not about reading nonsense. They are about diagnosing with clarity. They help a teacher move from “Your child is struggling with reading” to “Your child needs a little extra practice blending the /sh/ sound with other letters.”

That precise understanding is what enables the appropriate help, right away. It turns a moment of struggle into a clear next step—and that is how every child becomes a confident, independent reader.