Sliding sounds together
You sound out c-a-t slowly, then slide them together fast until 'cat' pops out — like blending ingredients into one smoothie. Blending is how separate letter sounds fuse into a whole word you can read.
Sounds build words
Each letter makes a sound. Blend the sounds in order to read a word. C-A-T blended says 'cat'.
S + U + N → "sun"