Phonics Screening Check Word Lists: Real and Alien Words Explained
The phonics screening check is built from two kinds of word: ordinary real words and made-up alien words (you may also hear them called pseudo-words or nonsense words). This guide explains why both are there, how they’re marked, and shows you a complete real example so there are no surprises.
Real words
Half of the 40 words are real: everyday words a six-year-old can decode using their phonics, such as “shed”, “clip”, “drill” or “smoother”. They’re not random — they’re chosen to cover a spread of letter–sound patterns, from simple three-sound words up to longer words with two syllables. A child can read a real word either by sounding it out and blending it, or by recognising it straight off; both are fine.
Alien words (pseudo-words / nonsense words)
The other half are made-up words like “vaff”, “yurp” or “splace”. In the real check each one is shown beside a little cartoon monster, and children are told these are “alien words” — the monster’s name — so they know not to try to twist them into a real word they already know.
Why bother with made-up words? Because they’re the fairest test of pure decoding. A child can’t have memorised “splace”, so the only way to read it is to use phonics: break it into its sounds and blend them. That’s exactly the skill the check is designed to measure. It’s also why alien words are brilliant practice — and often, secretly, the bit children enjoy most.
A full example: the 2026 paper
Here’s a complete, real word list — the official 2026 paper — so you can see exactly how a check is put together. First the 20 alien words, with a note on how each is meant to sound, then the 20 real words.
| Alien word | How to read it |
|---|---|
| jad | Uses the 'j' from 'jet', rhymes with 'sad' — /dʒæd/. |
| kib | Uses the 'k' from 'kit', rhymes with 'bib' — /kɪb/. |
| tep | Uses the 't' from 'tub', rhymes with 'step' — /tɛp/. |
| ips | Uses the 'i' from 'inn', rhymes with 'lips' — /ɪps/. |
| vaff | Combines the 'v' from 'vest' and the 'aff' from 'affect' — /væf/. |
| qued | Uses the 'qu' from 'quid', rhymes with 'red' — /kwɛd/. |
| dorl | Combines the 'd' from 'dear' with the 'or' from 'for' and the 'l' from 'fool' — /dɔːl/. |
| shars | Uses the 'sh' from 'sheep', rhymes with 'stars' — /ʃɑːs/ or /ʃɑːz/. |
| skop | Uses the 'sk' from 'skim', rhymes with 'stop' — /skɒp/. |
| crort | Uses the 'cr' from 'crawl', rhymes with 'snort' — /krɔːt/. |
| zint | Uses the 'z' from 'zips', rhymes with 'hint' — /zɪnt/. |
| veest | Combines the 'v' from 'views' with the 'ee' from 'feeds' and the 'st' from 'first' — /viːst/. |
| jair | Uses the 'j' from 'joke', rhymes with 'lair' — /dʒɛə/. |
| plute | Uses the 'pl' from 'place', rhymes with 'flute' — /pluːt/. |
| yurp | Uses the 'y' from 'yard', rhymes with 'burp' — /jɜːp/. |
| phime | Uses the 'ph' from 'phone', rhymes with 'grime' — /faɪm/. |
| grusp | Uses the 'gr' from 'grunt', rhymes with 'cusp' — /grʌsp/. |
| gloast | Uses the 'gl' from 'glow', rhymes with 'boast' — /gləʊst/. |
| splace | Uses the 'spl' from 'split', rhymes with 'face' — /spleɪs/. |
| scrant | Uses the 'scr' from 'scrape', rhymes with 'chant' — /skrɑːnt/. |
The 20 real words (2026): shed, lock, foot, chess, clip, drill, junk, quilt, low, clean, dirt, theme, craft, grains, scram, splits, eaten, orbits, kicking, smoother.
Want the other years too? Every full list from 2012 to 2026 is on the past papers page, each with a one-tap link into practice.
How to use the lists at home
- Mix real and alien words just like the check does — don’t do all the “funny” ones in a row.
- Let sounding-out happen. “s-p-l-a-ce… splace” is a correct answer, not a struggle.
- Accents are fine. The check accepts regional pronunciations; so should you.
- Keep it playful. Read the alien words in a robot or monster voice — it takes the pressure off.
When you’re ready, the quickest way to practise is to run a full check in the app — it shows the monster for every alien word and lets you tap correct or incorrect as you go.