A Complete List of Word Families

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Word families help kids read faster by pointing out the patterns in words.

This is a complete list of word families to help the beginning reader in your life!

Complete List of Word FamiliesComplete List of Word Families

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What Are Word Families?

Word families are groups of words that are related by a common spelling pattern and sound.

For example, the words hen, pen, and when are all a part of the -en word family.

When you learn to recognize the common part of the word, you can easily read other words in that same family.

Complete List of Word FamiliesComplete List of Word Families

A Complete List of Word Families

Professors Richard Wylie and Donald Durrell published a journal article in 1970 entitled “Teaching Vowels Through Phonograms.” In it, they identified the 37 most common word families.

This complete list of word families expands on their research to form a comprehensive list.

ack
sack
back
lack
hack
jack
mack
slack
shack
tack
track
black

ail
bail
quail
snail
bail
rail
hail
sail
tail

am
bam
dam
ham
Pam
Sam
yam

ap
sap
tap
lap
map
nap
rap

ate
date
fate
gate
hate
late
mate
rate
grate

eep
beep
deep
keep
peep
seep
weep

ent
bent
dent
lent
sent
tent
rent
gent

ide
bide
wide
hide
ride
side
tide
chide
bride

ill
bill
dill
will
gill
sill
till
thrill
pill
frill

ink
sink
rink
think
wink
blink
link
mink
pink

ock
frock
dock
lock
rock
sock
hock

oo
coo
woo
too
boo
poo
zoo

oom
boom
loom
zoom
gloom
broom
zoom
groom

ore
bore
core
snore
wore
tore
pore
gore
lore
more
smore
spore
store
shore

ould
could
would
should

ow like snow
mow
sow
tow
bow
grow
show
throw
glow

ump
bump
pump
rump
clump
chump
thump
dump
jump
lump
pump

ad
mad
glad
bad
sad
tad
had
lad
fad
pad
grad

ane
cane
mane
lane
pane
sane
wane

ame
blame
same
game
shame
fame
lame
tame

ar
car
bar
far
mar
tar
par

aw
caw
thaw
jaw
law
paw
raw
saw
flaw

eet
beet
feet
meet
greet

est
best
guest
quest
chest
lest
nest
pest
rest

ife
life
knife
wife

in
bin
pin
tin
win
grin
thin
shin

ip
whip
blip
dip
flip
grip
hip
sip
tip
chip

ood as in good
good
hood
wood
stood

ood as in mood
mood
food
brood

ool
pool
spool
tool
fool
fool

orn
thorn
born
worn
corn
morn
torn
shorn

ouse
house
mouse

own
gown
crown
town
frown
down

un
pun
bun
sun
fun
gun
nun
run

ag
bag
tag
lag
nag
rag
brag
shag

ake
bake
cake
fake
lake
rake
sake
take
wake
snake

an
can
Dan
fan
pan
man
tan
ran

ash
bash
sash
dash
rash
mash
gnash
stash

eat
beat
feat
heat
meat
neat
peat
seat
wheat

ell
bell
dell
tell
well
sell
smell
fell
shell

ice
dice
twice
slice
splice
trice

ight
bright
light
might
night
knight
bright
fight
sight
tight

one
bone
hone
tone
lone
throne

it
sit
bit
zit
pit
fit
hit
quit

oil
boil
foil
toil
soil
broil
coil

oof
roof
woof
proof

on
son
ton
won

ot
dot
hot
pot
lot
dot
cot
shot
clot
rot
slot
plot
blot
trot

out
flout
clout
shout
pout
rout
tout

uck
luck
puck
buck
cluck
chuck
struck
duck
muck
tuck

unk
bunk
clunk
junk
dunk
funk
punk
sunk

age
cage
page
rage
sage
wage

all
ball
call
fall
hall
mall
tall
wall

ank
bank
drank
crank
prank
tank
yank

at
bat
fat
mat
pat
rat
cat
pat

eel
feel
wheel
kneel
peel
reel

en
hen
Ben
pen
men
ten
when
Jen

ick
sick
lick
quick
Rick
pick
tick
wick
trick
chick
thick

ile
bile
guile
mile
Nile
tile
while

ing
ding
sing
wing
thing
bling
ring
bring
zing

oak
croak
cloak
soak

oke
choke
woke
joke
poke

ook
book
cook
brook
shook
look
hook
crook

op
hop
bop
top
sop
glop
plop
crop
chop

ought
bought
sought
fought
thought

ow like cow
sow
cow
bow
how
wow
pow
vow

ug
bug
dug
mug
plug
thug
shrug
pug
rug

Complete List of Word FamiliesComplete List of Word Families

The Complete Word Families List

With these word families, you can springboard off any phonetic progress.

By learning to recognize the word family, you unlock the door to reading lots of new words.

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