Phonics Word Lists & Practice

Word families (or rimes) group words that share the same vowel-and-ending sound, like -at in cat, hat, and mat. Because only the first sound changes, they are the fastest way for beginning readers to unlock dozens of words from one pattern.

Digraphs are two letters that combine to make one brand-new sound, like the 'sh' in ship or the 'th' in thin. Neither letter keeps its usual sound, which is why digraphs need to be taught explicitly rather than sounded out letter by letter.

Consonant blends are two or three consonants that sit next to each other and keep their own individual sounds, said quickly together, like the 'bl' in black or the 'st' in stop. Unlike digraphs, each letter in a blend is still audible.

Silent e, often called magic e, is an e at the end of a word that you don't hear but that changes the vowel before it from short to long, so 'cap' becomes 'cape' and 'kit' becomes 'kite.' It is usually taught right after short vowels and blends, and it unlocks hundreds of common words.

Vowel teams are two letters that work together to make one vowel sound, often a long vowel, like the 'ai' in rain or the 'oa' in boat. English has dozens of these teams, and many share the same sound, which is what makes them tricky.

R-controlled vowels (sometimes called 'bossy R') happen when a vowel is followed by the letter r, which changes the vowel's sound completely, like the 'ar' in car or the 'er' in her. Neither the vowel nor the r keeps its usual sound.