Phonics · lesson 12 of 24 · free

Word families — Phonics for kids

A word family is a group of words with the same ending: -at (cat, bat, mat), -an, -ig, -op, -ug and -en. Learn one ending and you can read a whole family.

▶ Watch how it works

Got it? Practise ↓

How the sounds work

Same ending, new start — “keep the ending and change the first letter to make a new word”

  1. Find the family ending: -ug.
  2. Put a letter in front: h + ug = hug, b + ug = bug.
  3. Words in the same family rhyme.

Use it for: Reading many new words quickly, and spelling by analogy (if I can spell cat, I can spell mat).

Worked example: Which word is in the “-ug” family? → hug

  1. Words in the “-ug” family all end with “ug”: bug, hug, jug …
  2. “hug” ends with “ug”: h + ug = hug. Pat and jig do not.

Check: h + ug = hug, just like b + ug = bug ✓

▶ Watch it animated

✏️ Practice

Listen (🔊), look at the pictures, then tap the answer. Grown-ups: read the question together.

Right: 0 · Tried: 0

🏁 Lesson 12 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

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🖨️ Word Families Worksheet

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