Phonics for Adults Worksheets

Press Print worksheet for fifteen everyday words to sort by vowel sound, such as bank, rent and bill.

The sheet shows the list "List 1: short a". Type or paste your own words to replace it.

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Made at homeroomtools.comWord boxSort the words of the word box. Write each word under its heading.Spelling: sort by listList 1: short aList 2: short eList 3: short ibillmilklistrentsendmapgashelptaxcabpenbanktiptextzip
Made at homeroomtools.comSort the words of the word box. Write each word under its heading.Spelling: sort by listAnswer keyList 1: short aList 2: short eList 3: short itaxbankgascabmapsendtextpenrenthelpbillmilklisttipzip
Page 1 of 2

15 words from 3 lists, sort by list, on 1 page and 1 page of answers, Letter portrait.

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Next step Hear adult spelling words read as a testCopy everyday lines by hand

The spelling lists

List 1: short a 8

  • bag The bag has a broken strap. Short a.
  • bank The bank opens at nine. Short a.
  • cab We took a cab home. Short a.
  • gas We cook on a gas stove. Short a.
  • map The bus map is by the door. Short a.
  • plan This phone plan costs less. Short a.
  • staff The staff meets on Monday. Short a.
  • tax Sales tax is added at the register. Short a. The x says ks.

List 2: short e 8

  • desk The form is at the front desk. Short e.
  • help The clerk can help you. Short e.
  • next You are next in line. Short e. The x says ks.
  • pen This pen is out of ink. Short e.
  • rent The rent is due on the first. Short e.
  • sell They sell stamps here. Short e.
  • send I will send the letter today. Short e.
  • text I got a text from work. Short e. The x says ks.

List 3: short i 8

  • bill The phone bill came today. Short i.
  • fix They can fix the heater on Friday. Short i. The x says ks.
  • lift This box is hard to lift. Short i.
  • list Milk is on the shopping list. Short i.
  • milk We are out of milk. Short i.
  • sink The sink is full of dishes. Short i.
  • tip We left a tip for the server. Short i.
  • zip My zip code is on the envelope. Short i.
Show all 120 words (96 more)

List 4: short o 8

  • boss My boss works the late shift. Short o.
  • box The box is too big for the shelf. Short o. The x says ks.
  • cost What does the ticket cost? Short o.
  • hot The pan is still hot. Short o.
  • lock The lock on the gate is new. Short o. The ck at the end says k.
  • lot The parking lot is full. Short o.
  • mop The mop is in the closet. Short o.
  • top My name is at the top of the list. Short o.

List 5: short u 8

  • bus The bus comes every ten minutes. Short u.
  • cup A cup of coffee, please. Short u.
  • cut The cook cut the bread. Short u.
  • mug This mug is chipped. Short u.
  • rug The rug by the door is wet. Short u.
  • run The trains run late on Sunday. Short u.
  • sum The sum is at the foot of the bill. Short u.
  • tub The tub drains slowly. Short u.

List 6: blend at the start 8

  • clinic The clinic opens at eight. Starts with cl: you hear both letters.
  • dress The dress code is on the wall. Starts with dr: you hear both letters.
  • drill The fire drill is at ten. Starts with dr: you hear both letters.
  • flat The bike has a flat tire. Starts with fl: you hear both letters.
  • scan Scan the ticket at the gate. Starts with sc: you hear both letters.
  • snack I packed a snack for the break. Starts with sn: you hear both letters.
  • step The top step is loose. Starts with st: you hear both letters.
  • trip The trip takes an hour. Starts with tr: you hear both letters.

List 7: blend at the end 8

  • belt The belt is on sale. Ends with lt: you hear both letters.
  • film The film starts at seven. Ends with lm: you hear both letters.
  • gift I need a gift for my aunt. Ends with ft: you hear both letters.
  • hand Please hand me that pen. Ends with nd: you hear both letters.
  • lamp The lamp needs a new bulb. Ends with mp: you hear both letters.
  • lend Can you lend me a pen? Ends with nd: you hear both letters.
  • task The first task is to sort the mail. Ends with sk: you hear both letters.
  • test The driving test is on Friday. Ends with st: you hear both letters.

List 8: sh, ch, th 8

  • bath The bath is down the hall. Ends with th: two letters, one sound.
  • cash I paid in cash. Ends with sh: two letters, one sound.
  • check The check is in the mail. Starts with ch: two letters, one sound. The ck at the end says k.
  • chip The card has a chip. Starts with ch: two letters, one sound.
  • fish The fish is fresh today. Ends with sh: two letters, one sound.
  • math The night class is math. Ends with th: two letters, one sound.
  • rich The soup has a rich taste. Ends with ch: two letters, one sound.
  • shop The shop closes at six. Starts with sh: two letters, one sound.

List 9: a_e, silent e 8

  • date What is the date today? Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • name My name is on the list. Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • page The last page has a map. Long a: the e at the end is silent. The g says j before the e.
  • rate The pay rate is on the first page. Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • safe The keys are in a safe place. Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • sale Coats are on sale this week. Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • tape The tape is in the top drawer. Long a: the e at the end is silent.
  • wage The wage is paid each Friday. Long a: the e at the end is silent. The g says j before the e.

List 10: i_e, o_e 8

  • code I forgot the door code. Long o: the e at the end is silent.
  • home I get home at six. Long o: the e at the end is silent.
  • life City life is busy. Long i: the e at the end is silent.
  • mile The store is a mile away. Long i: the e at the end is silent.
  • note I left a note on the door. Long o: the e at the end is silent.
  • ride I got a ride to work. Long i: the e at the end is silent.
  • size What size is this shirt? Long i: the e at the end is silent.
  • time What time does the shift start? Long i: the e at the end is silent.

List 11: ar, or 8

  • car The car is at the shop. The a and the r make one sound.
  • card My library card is new. The a and the r make one sound.
  • form The form has two pages. The o and the r make one sound.
  • north The bus goes north on Main Street. The o and the r make one sound.
  • park We park behind the store. The a and the r make one sound.
  • part The job is part time. The a and the r make one sound.
  • storm The storm knocked out the power. The o and the r make one sound.
  • yard The yard needs raking. The a and the r make one sound.

List 12: er, ir, ur 8

  • clerk The clerk stamped my form. The e and the r make one sound.
  • curb The cab stopped at the curb. The u and the r make one sound.
  • firm The mattress is firm. The i and the r make one sound.
  • first This is my first week on the job. The i and the r make one sound.
  • nurse The nurse works nights. The u and the r make one sound. The e at the end is silent.
  • term The term ends in June. The e and the r make one sound.
  • third The office is on the third floor. The i and the r make one sound.
  • turn It is your turn at the window. The u and the r make one sound.

List 13: ai, ay 8

  • claim I filed a claim for the lost bag. Long a, spelled ai.
  • day Monday is my day off. Long a, spelled ay.
  • mail The mail comes at noon. Long a, spelled ai.
  • paid I paid the bill online. Long a, spelled ai.
  • pay We get our pay on Friday. Long a, spelled ay.
  • rain Rain is due tonight. Long a, spelled ai.
  • stay Guests can stay until noon. Long a, spelled ay.
  • wait The wait is ten minutes. Long a, spelled ai.

List 14: ee, ea 8

  • cheap Bus fare is cheap on Sunday. Long e, spelled ea.
  • clean The clean towels are on the shelf. Long e, spelled ea.
  • deal The store has a deal on rice. Long e, spelled ea.
  • fee There is no fee to park here. Long e, spelled ee.
  • keep I keep the receipts in a folder. Long e, spelled ee.
  • meal A meal comes with the ticket. Long e, spelled ea.
  • need I need two stamps. Long e, spelled ee.
  • street The shop is on Oak Street. Long e, spelled ee.

List 15: oa, ow 8

  • bowl The soup comes in a bowl. Long o, spelled ow.
  • coach The coach picks the team. Long o, spelled oa.
  • load One more load of wash to go. Long o, spelled oa.
  • loan The car loan ends next year. Long o, spelled oa.
  • low The shelf is too low. Long o, spelled ow.
  • own They own a small shop. Long o, spelled ow.
  • road The road is closed for repairs. Long o, spelled oa.
  • snow Snow is in the forecast. Long o, spelled ow.

How this list was compiled: Our own selection and grouping of 120 English words that an adult meets at work, in shops and on forms, with a plain sentence of our own for each: five short vowel lists, blends at the start and at the end of a word, the digraphs sh, ch and th, silent e, r-controlled vowels and three vowel team lists. The letters left out of each word are the ones its list is about. Every word was checked on 2026-10-02 in two places: the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary, a record of General American pronunciation (https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict), where every listed pronunciation must have the vowel or consonants its list names; and the word's own entry at https://en.wiktionary.org/ (license CC BY-SA 4.0), whose pronunciation line must show the same vowel. A word that failed either check was left out. The names of the patterns follow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonics, read the same day. Spellings are American. The sentences name no person, business or brand, and no published word list or reading program was copied or is named. Licence: own work

How it works

These phonics worksheets for adults use the words of work, shops and forms, not a child's word list. The page opens on a sort of short a, short e and short i words, in plain type with no pictures.

Read the full guide

Fifteen lists, one sound pattern each

Open More options and pick a list under Word list. Lists 1 to 5 are the short vowels: bank, rent, bill, boss, bus. Lists 6 to 8 are blends and the digraphs sh, ch and th: clinic, lamp, cash. Lists 9 to 15 are silent e, vowels before r and vowel teams: rate, form, clerk, pay, street, loan. A sort takes the list on show and the two after it.

Missing letters, and your own words

Under What goes on the sheet, Missing letters prints the eight words of one list with their pattern letters left out: b_nk, cl__k. Words typed in the box replace ours and print to trace: a street name, a job title. Typed words cannot be sorted.

  • Every word has a plain sentence under the tool, such as The rent is due on the first.
  • The Name and Date line is off. To add it, check it under More options.

Questions and answers

What makes these worksheets suit an adult?

The words and the look. Every word comes from adult life: rent and bill, clerk and wage, date and name. The sheet prints plain letters and lines, with no pictures and no child's theme.

Which phonics patterns do the lists cover?

Short vowels, consonant blends at the start and end of a word, the digraphs sh, ch and th, silent e, r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur) and the vowel teams ai, ay, ee, ea, oa and ow.

Is there an answer key?

Yes, as the last page. For a sort it shows each word under its heading; for Missing letters, each word with its letters written in. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print without it.

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