A missing letters game asks a young child to look at a picture, say the word, and work out which sound is hiding in the gap. On this page the word cat appears as c _ t next to a picture of a cat, and your child taps one of three big letter tiles: a, o or i. The Hindi tab does the same with Hindi words, such as क _ ल with a lotus picture, where the answer is म and the word becomes कमल. It is a small puzzle, but it trains one of the most important early reading skills: hearing every sound in a word, in order.
What your child learns from missing letter words
Most children of four can hear the first sound of a word. The middle sound is much harder, and the vowel in the middle of a three-letter word is where many early readers get stuck. A fill in the missing letter task pulls attention to exactly that spot. When your child hears "cat", looks at c _ t, and chooses between a, o and i, they have to stretch the word out in their head: c... a... t. That stretching is the same skill they will use later to read and spell new words on their own.
The gap moves around. Sometimes the first letter is missing (_ u n for sun), sometimes the middle (b _ s for bus), and sometimes the last (p i _ for pig). So your child practises the beginning sound, middle sound and ending sound, not just one position.
In Hindi the gap can be a whole letter, like ब _ ख for बतख (duck), or a letter with a matra, like _ व where your child chooses between ना, नि and नु to make नाव (boat). That second kind of question is excellent matra practice, because the three choices look almost the same and only the matra sign is different.
How to play the missing letters game
- Choose English or Hindi at the top of the game.
- Golu says the question, "Which letter is missing?", and then says the word, for example "dog". Tap 🔊 to hear it again at any time.
- Your child taps one of the three letter tiles. The right letter drops into the dashed gap, the whole word is read aloud, and the name is said in the other language too (dog, कुत्ता).
- If the tap is not right, nothing scary happens. Golu says the letter that was tapped and asks your child to try again. On a second miss the right tile glows; on a third, a pointing hand shows it.
- After a short set of words (four to eight, depending on the age you pick in settings), a marble drops into the Goli Jar and a small real-world task appears.
Use the अ+A button in the header to choose which language is spoken first. A child in an English-medium school can hear English first; a child learning Hindi at home can hear Hindi first.
Which age and class is this for?
Missing letter work usually starts in LKG and becomes regular practice in UKG and class 1. Here is a simple guide.
| Age / class | What to expect | How to help |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 (Nursery) | Can say the word and may know the first sound | Play together. You say the word slowly; let your child tap after you |
| 4-5 (LKG) | Finds the first and last letter, guesses the middle | Stretch the word with your voice: "b... u... s" |
| 5-6 (UKG) | Finds middle vowels and Hindi matras with a little help | Ask "Which sound do you hear in the middle?" |
| 6-7 (class 1) | Solves most gaps alone and starts writing them | After the game, write two words with gaps on paper |
If your child is younger than four, begin with phonics sounds and the first sound of words, then come back here.
How to teach missing letters at home in 5 minutes
Say it slowly first
Before your child taps, say the word as if you are stretching chewing gum: "ssss-uuuu-nnnn". Children hear the middle sound when it is long and loud. Then say it fast again: sun.
Use real objects
Put a cup, a pen and a toy bus on the table. Say "b_s" and ask your child to hand you the object. This is a missing letter game without any screen at all.
Chalk, slate and fridge letters
Write d _ g on a slate or with fridge magnets, leave an empty space, and let your child place the letter. Five words a day is plenty. Keep the same words for a few days before you add new ones; repetition is how reading sticks.
Missing vowels and the vowel song
Most English gaps on this page are vowels, because vowels are the sounds children drop most often when they start to spell. If your child keeps choosing the wrong vowel, spend a day on vowels for kids and sing a e i o u together, then return.
Hindi words with pictures
For Hindi, point at things in the house and say the word in parts: घ - र, मो - र, के - ला. Then hide one part: "के ... what comes next?" This builds the same skill in Hindi. The page on two-letter Hindi words is a good partner for this.
The words in this game
The English set uses short, regular words that match a clear picture: cat, dog, sun, pig, bus, fox, bed, cow, bat, egg, ant and key. These are mostly CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant), the first words children learn to read in phonics. If your child enjoys them, the three letter words page has more to blend.
The Hindi set uses familiar words: कमल (lotus), घर (house), आम (mango), नाव (boat), किला (fort), मछली (fish), बतख (duck), मोर (peacock), सेब (apple), केला (banana), फूल (flower) and ऊँट (camel). Some gaps test a plain letter (म or न?), and some test a matra (के, की or कु?).
Making your own missing letter worksheet
Many schools send home a missing letter worksheet. You can make one in two minutes: draw four simple pictures (a sun, a cat, a bus, a pot), write each word with one blank, and put three small letter choices under each. Or print this page from your browser and use the word list as a guide. There is no PDF to download, but the page prints cleanly. For class 1, try leaving two letters blank (c _ _ ) once one blank feels easy.
Keep paper practice short. Two or three words done happily are worth more than a full sheet done in tears.
When your child finds it hard
Missing letters can feel tricky, and that is normal. If your child taps randomly, stop and play the word slowly together. If they get upset, switch to a picture game they already know and come back tomorrow. Praise the trying ("You listened so carefully!") rather than the result.
For children with speech delay, let them point instead of saying the sound; the tap is enough. Autistic children often like the predictable pattern of this game: same layout, same voice, one gap each time. In a bilingual home, it is fine to play only one language on some days and the other language on others. If you are worried about how your child hears or speaks sounds, talk to your paediatrician.
Screens work best in short sessions with a grown-up next to the child. Play one round together, then do the same thing with real objects or a slate. Children under two learn more from you and real things than from any screen.
