What Are Nonsense Words — And Why Do We Use Them to Teach Reading?

Kate Baker
May 29
2 min read

Updated: Jun 30

If you’ve ever seen your child reading a word like mig, splog, or dut and wondered what on earth is going on — it’s not a mistake. These are what we call nonsense words, and they’re actually a powerful tool in learning to read.

Let’s break down what they are, why they matter, and how you can support your child when they come up.

Stack of children's books with a mug on top

What Are Nonsense Words?

Nonsense words (also known as pseudo words) are made-up words that follow regular phonics rules but don’t have any meaning. For example:

blim
shup
zog

They can be sounded out using phonics skills, just like real words — and that’s the point.

Why Do We Use Them in Reading Instruction?

Nonsense words serve one main purpose: to test and strengthen a child’s decoding skills.

When children are learning to read, they’re taught to decode — that is, to break down words into sounds and blend them together. Nonsense words are the perfect way to check whether a child is truly using these phonics skills, rather than memorising words by sight.

Think of it like this:

If a child reads the word dog, you can’t be completely sure they sounded it out — they might just recognise it.
But if they successfully read tog, you know for certain they used their phonics knowledge, because tog isn’t a word they’d have memorised.

Why It Matters — Especially for Struggling Readers

Being able to decode unfamiliar words is essential. Nonsense words remove the option of guessing or relying on memory. They help children:

Build confidence with sounding out
Practice blending sounds fluently
Develop the skills to tackle unfamiliar real words independently

In fact, many phonics screening checks (such as the Year 1 Phonics Check in England) use nonsense words to assess progress for exactly this reason.

How You Can Help at Home

If your child is working with nonsense words, you can support them by:

Encouraging them to say each sound, then blend the word slowly before saying it in full
Praising the process, not just the result: “Great job breaking that down into sounds!”
Reminding them it’s okay that the word doesn’t mean anything — the goal is to practice decoding

In Summary

Nonsense words might sound a little silly — but they play a serious role in helping children become confident, capable readers. They offer a clear window into whether a child has truly mastered the building blocks of reading.

Want to practice some nonsense words with your child at home? My Reading Skills Workbooks introduce sounds gradually through gamified activities to keep engagement high and frustration low. They provide structured, evidence-based learning to help struggling readers thrive.

👉 Check out the workbooks to start your child's reading journey today!