decodable - Heart Words: Why Some Words Can't Be Sounded Out (and How to Help Your Child Learn Them Without Rote Memorization)

May 15, 2026

Your child is flying through the decodable page. Then they hit "said." They sound it out: s-a-i-d. Nothing. The page stops, the confidence dips, and the meltdown starts.

If you've watched your child hit a word that won't sound out and thought, "maybe reading just isn't for them" - you are not alone. We've been there. Here's the reassuring truth: your child isn't failing. They just met a heart word they haven't been taught yet.

Most English words follow the rules and can be sounded out. But a small handful - the, said, was, where - break them. Reading science calls these heart words, because one part you must learn by heart. In said, the /s/ is regular - it's the "ai" (which says /e/) that's the sneaky part.

TRY THIS

Tonight, turn the trickiest words into a heart word hunt. Grab a familiar book, find the word "said" (or "the," "was," "where"), and give it a heart: point out the part that follows the rules and the part that must be remembered. Then hunt for it again on the next page. Under five minutes, zero worksheets, and your child sees that the "sneaky part" is the only part they need to memorize.

MICRO-TIPS

• Name the heart word out loud. "This is a heart word - the part we have to remember is the 'ai' saying /e/." Naming it takes away the shame.
• Teach a few at a time. A handful of heart words at once beats a long list. Master said before you add where.
• Point to the tricky part, not the whole word. The rest follows the rules; only the sneaky part needs memorizing.
• Play "find the heart word." Search a page for the word and celebrate when they spot it - recognition is the first step to recall.
• Reread, reread, reread. Every time they meet the heart word in a real book, the mapping gets a little stronger.

A NOTE FOR YOU

A child who trips on a heart word isn't behind - they've hit the one genuine quirk in a mostly-regular system. Heart words are a small, finite set, and each one you teach gently is one they'll never stumble on again. You're not fighting a broken reader; you're handing your child the short list of exceptions that make everything else feel easy. Give yourself permission to take a breath - the work is working.

Sources & Further Reading

• Reading Rockets - A New Model for Teaching High-Frequency Words explains how "flash words" (regular) and "heart words" (irregular) work.
• Reading Rockets - Basics: Sight Words and Orthographic Mapping shows why words stick when children see their parts.
• National Center on Improving Literacy - Resources for Families offers free, parent-friendly guidance on phonics and decoding.
• Dyslexia Association of Ireland - Info Hub shares how children learn high-frequency words by heart.