UR (Bossy R): Word List & Practice
UR (Bossy R) 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 14 grade 1–2-level words plus 4 decodable sentences. Practice them out loud — the most common error is substituting 'er' or 'ir' when spelling.
- turn
- burn
- hurt
- curl
- curb
- surf
- fur
- burst
- church
- purple
- purse
- nurse
- turtle
- Thursday
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 turtle will turn and burn.
- My purple purse is hurt.
- The nurse can surf on Thursday.
- Curl the fur by the curb.
How to Teach UR (Bossy R) Words
'Ur' completes the triplet. All three spellings make one sound, and once a child accepts that, the reading side of this family is essentially solved - any of the three can be read the same way, so decoding never fails. The remaining difficulty is entirely in spelling.
For spelling, the practical approach is word families rather than rules. Group 'turn, burn, churn' and 'hurt, burst, curb' and practice them as sets, because no reliable rule distinguishes 'ur' from 'er' and 'ir.' Telling a child that plainly is kinder than implying there is a rule they have failed to learn.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Substituting 'er' or 'ir' when spelling
- Reading 'ur' with a short u sound
- Missing that all three spellings sound identical