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!
This article contains affiliate links to things that you might like.
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.
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
ate
date
fate
gate
hate
late
mate
rate
grate
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
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
ane
cane
mane
lane
pane
sane
wane
ame
blame
same
game
shame
fame
lame
tame
eet
beet
feet
meet
greet
est
best
guest
quest
chest
lest
nest
pest
rest
ife
life
knife
wife
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
ake
bake
cake
fake
lake
rake
sake
take
wake
snake
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
oil
boil
foil
toil
soil
broil
coil
oof
roof
woof
proof
on
son
ton
won
out
flout
clout
shout
pout
rout
tout
uck
luck
puck
buck
cluck
chuck
struck
duck
muck
tuck
age
cage
page
rage
sage
wage
all
ball
call
fall
hall
mall
tall
wall
ank
bank
drank
crank
prank
tank
yank
eel
feel
wheel
kneel
peel
reel
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
ought
bought
sought
fought
thought
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.
Share with your friends!
