The term you’ll often see online — igh sound jolly phonics — is a little misleading. The igh trigraph, as in night, light, and right, is not one of the 42 official Jolly Phonics sounds; Jolly Phonics teaches this same long i sound later, as the digraph ie. igh instead comes from the Letters and Sounds Phase 3 programme, met around age 5, once the 42 Jolly Phonics letter sounds are done.
That’s not a reason to skip it. Once children blend three-letter sounds confidently, igh is a natural next step, showing up in dozens of everyday words like night and light. Below: how to say it, word lists, quick activities, and a free worksheet.
How to Say the igh Sound
Open your mouth wide as if starting an ah, then glide your jaw and tongue up and forward until your lips are almost closed, finishing near an ee shape. Keep your voice on throughout — it’s one smooth glide, not two sounds bumped together.
Because igh isn’t one of the 42 Jolly Phonics sounds, there’s no official action for it. As our own cue (not an official Jolly Phonics action), try shading your eyes and looking up, as if searching for something bright in the sky, while chanting: “Shine so bright, up in the sky, that’s the igh, igh, igh!” A short chant like this helps the sound stick without pretending it’s part of the official programme.
The easiest mix-up is short i: bit vs. bite, lit vs. light. There’s also the silent gh — children want to sound out a g or h that isn’t there. Quick trick: cover the gh and check the word still makes sense as a long i.
Ways to Spell the igh Sound
The long i sound can be written several ways, usually met in roughly this order:
- igh in the middle of a word — night, light, right, fight
- ie — pie, tie
- i-e — kite, bike (comes a little later)
- y at the end of a word — my, fly, sky
- i on its own — I, find
If you would like a refresher on the difference between the two terms, see our guide to phonemes and graphemes.
A Short Sound Story for igh
Johnny was playing fetch with his dog in the evening light. He threw the ball high over the fence, and the dog dashed after it with all his might. Racing to catch up, Johnny tripped and let out a surprised “igh, igh!” That night, tucked in tight, he giggled telling his mom the story.
Video: Hear the igh Sound
igh Words: Beginning, Middle and End
Beginning
igh itself never opens a word — but the long i sound does, with other spellings:
- ice
- iron
- idea
- item
- island
- eye
Middle
Most igh words carry the sound before another consonant:
- night
- light
- right
- fight
- sight
- flight
- tight
- bright
End
A smaller set end right on the sound, spelled igh or y:
- high
- sigh
- thigh
- nigh
- sky
- fly
- my
- try
Stretch these out sound by sound:
- n-igh-t → night
- l-igh-t → light
- s-igh-t → sight
- f-igh-t → fight
- h-igh → high
A few tricky words contain the letters igh but don’t say the long i sound at all: eight, neighbor, and weigh all say ay instead. Point these out so your child knows igh isn’t the only reading for those three letters together.
4 Quick igh Activities to Try Today
- igh hunt (3 minutes): Walk the house and spot igh words — a light switch, the night sky, a flight of stairs.
- Sort the spellings (4 minutes): Write night, pie, kite, and sky on cards; sort by pattern: igh, ie, i-e, y.
- Flashcard blending (3 minutes): Slide letter cards n, igh, and t together to build night, then swap the n for r, l, f, s, or t.
- Silent letters detective (5 minutes): Find eight or neighbor in a book and talk about why the gh doesn’t behave like it does in night.
Free igh Worksheet and Flashcards
Download the tracing worksheet below, then use the flashcards to build and blend real words.
Our phase 2 flashcards and phase 3 flashcards cover every sound met so far, including igh. Here are the three cards that build night:
Arranged in order — n, igh, t — they spell night. Read each card alone first, then slide them together.
New to this? Start with our step-by-step guide to teaching Jolly Phonics.
For a quick dictation check, say night, light, right, fight, sight, and high one at a time, without showing the words, and have your child write each one down.
Where the igh Sound Sits in the Sequence
igh comes right after the /air/ sound and right before the /ear/ sound in the Phase 3 order used here. For the full 42-sound order plus these extra sounds, see our Jolly Phonics complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the igh sound part of Jolly Phonics?
No. igh is not one of the 42 official Jolly Phonics sounds. It is a Letters and Sounds Phase 3 trigraph met around age 5, once the main Jolly Phonics sounds are finished, and Jolly Phonics itself teaches this same long i sound as ie instead.
How do you say the igh sound?
Open your mouth wide as if starting an ah, then glide the jaw and tongue up and forward until your lips are almost closed, finishing near an ee shape, with your voice on throughout.
What are some easy igh words for beginners?
Night, light, right, and sight are good starting words because the trigraph sits neatly between two familiar consonants. High and sigh are useful next once a child is comfortable ending a word on the sound.
Why doesn’t eight rhyme with light?
Eight contains the letters igh but does not say the long i sound; it says ay, the same as weigh and neighbor. These watch-out words are worth pointing out so igh isn’t expected to behave the same way everywhere.
