I believe in phonics 100%; however, there are many words in the English language that do not follow the rules of phonics, so we have to memorize sight words and or dulce words that are common to the language. I’m always surprised that students refuse to memorize anything which is a hinderance to all learning.
Yes, there are a lot of exceptions, but you get the basics in and then teach the exceptions. That way, kids CAN learn and it’s way better than just taking a guess.