-ank Word Family: Word List & Practice
-ank Word Family words follow one repeating pattern, so a child who can read one of them has most of what they need to read the rest. This list has 12 grade 1-level words plus 4 decodable sentences. Practice them out loud — the most common error is splitting the 'ank' chunk into separate n and k sounds.
- bank
- tank
- rank
- sank
- thank
- blank
- crank
- drank
- plank
- prank
- spank
- yank
Practice these words out loud
Have your child read these sentences to Word Wiz AI. It listens and shows exactly which sounds they missed, not just whether the word was right. Free, no sign-up needed to try.
Try these out loudDecodable Sentences
Every word in these sentences uses sounds your child has already learned, so they can be read by decoding rather than guessing.
- The tank sank by the bank.
- Thank you for the blank plank.
- I drank juice and played a prank.
- Yank the crank on the tank.
How to Teach -ank Word Family Words
Like -ang, the -ank family should be taught as a single nasalized chunk rather than three separate letter sounds, and it shows up in a surprising number of everyday words: 'bank,' 'thank,' 'tank,' and 'blank' are all common in early reading materials. Because 'thank' starts with the digraph 'th,' this family is a natural place to review digraphs at the same time you are practicing the rime.
Many -ank words carry a beginning blend as well ('blank,' 'crank,' 'drank,' 'plank,' 'prank,' 'spank'), which makes this one of the more demanding word families on this list — a child is coordinating a beginning blend, a vowel, and a nasal ending blend all in one word. If -ank feels hard, back up to -an and -ang first and return to -ank once both of those are fluent.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Splitting the 'ank' chunk into separate n and k sounds
- Dropping a consonant from beginning blends like 'crank' or 'drank'
- Misreading 'thank' by treating 'th' as two separate letter sounds