Closed Syllable Exceptions: Word Lists to Print or Test

Pick an exception pattern, then print its list or hear it read aloud as a test.

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List 1: ind and ild (mind, mild)

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.mindDo you mind if I sit here?
  2. 2.blindA guide dog helps a blind person cross streets.
  3. 3.grindThe mill will grind the wheat into flour.
  4. 4.rindThrow the orange rind in the compost.
  5. 5.bindUse tape to bind the pages together.
  6. 6.remindPlease remind me to feed the fish.
  7. 7.unkindLaughing at a mistake is unkind.
  8. 8.rewindPress the button to rewind the song.
  9. 9.kindnessHolding the door is a small kindness.
  10. 10.mindfulBe mindful of the wet floor.
  11. 11.blindfoldPut on the blindfold before the game starts.
  12. 12.mildThe salsa is mild, not spicy.
  13. 13.wildlifeThe park has signs about local wildlife.
  14. 14.grandchildHer first grandchild was born in May.
  15. 15.childhoodHe spent his childhood on a farm.

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Each word is read aloud, then used in a sentence. Type what you hear. The marks come at the end.

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Accents do not count: café may be typed as cafe, and the marks show how it is written.

Only voices built into this device are used, so the words are not sent to a speech service to be read. With no voice, a person reads the words from the last page of the test sheet.

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Next step Every other long i spelling: mice, sunlight, flyTest your own words the same way

All 50 words

List 1: ind and ild (mind, mild) 15

  • bind Use tape to bind the pages together.
  • blind A guide dog helps a blind person cross streets.
  • blindfold Put on the blindfold before the game starts.
  • childhood He spent his childhood on a farm.
  • grandchild Her first grandchild was born in May.
  • grind The mill will grind the wheat into flour.
  • kindness Holding the door is a small kindness.
  • mild The salsa is mild, not spicy.
  • mind Do you mind if I sit here?
  • mindful Be mindful of the wet floor.
  • remind Please remind me to feed the fish.
  • rewind Press the button to rewind the song.
  • rind Throw the orange rind in the compost.
  • unkind Laughing at a mistake is unkind.
  • wildlife The park has signs about local wildlife.

List 2: old (cold) 10

  • behold The sunset was a sight to behold.
  • cold Wear mittens when it is cold.
  • fold Please fold the paper in half.
  • golden The field of wheat looked golden.
  • holder Put your pencil in the holder.
  • household Every household got a letter from the school.
  • old The old bridge is made of stone.
  • scold The coach did not scold us for losing.
  • threshold Wipe your feet at the threshold.
  • unfold We had to unfold the big map.
Show all 50 words (25 more)

List 3: ost and olt (host, bolt) 9

  • almost We are almost at the top of the hill.
  • bolt Slide the bolt to lock the gate.
  • colt A colt is a young male horse.
  • ghost The ghost story gave us chills.
  • host Our class will host the spelling bee.
  • jolt The bus stopped with a jolt.
  • post Tie the horse to the post.
  • revolt The people planned to revolt against the unfair king.
  • utmost Handle the eggs with the utmost care.

List 4: oll and others (scroll, pint) 7

  • comb Use a comb to fix your hair.
  • gross The moldy bread looked gross.
  • knoll The picnic was on a grassy knoll.
  • pint Two cups make one pint.
  • scroll You can scroll down to see more photos.
  • stroll We took a stroll along the beach.
  • troll A troll lived under the bridge in the tale.

List 5: look-alikes that stay short (cost, children) 9

  • children Six children waited for the school bus.
  • cinder A hot cinder flew out of the campfire.
  • cost How much does the book cost?
  • doll The doll has a blue dress.
  • golf We played mini golf on Saturday.
  • lost I lost my mitten on the bus.
  • solve Can you solve this riddle?
  • wilderness The hikers camped in the wilderness.
  • windmill The windmill pumps water for the cows.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen, sorted into 5 lists and given sentences for this site. The sorting is ours. Lists 1 to 4 hold closed syllables with a long vowel (i before nd and ld, o before ld, st, lt and ll, plus pint, comb and gross); List 5 holds words with the same letters and a short vowel, for contrast. No word here is on the site's silent e, vowel team, multisyllabic, spelling pattern, long i, long e or syllable type lists; find, kind, behind, child, wild, gold, told, most and both are on the spelling pattern lists. SOUNDS AND SPELLINGS: the headword line of all 50 words was read on 2026-09-24 at https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q= plus the word (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language): ī or ō in Lists 1 to 4, a short vowel in List 5. Left out on purpose: words that sound the same as another word in that dictionary (bold and bowled, hold and holed, sold and soled, roll and role, poll and pole, toll and tole, sign and sine), words with a second spelling on the headword line (mold, also mould; hind, also hinder; enroll, also enrol; volt, also volte), wind, which is two words with two sounds, and inflected forms the dictionary does not enter on their own (older, mildly). Facts in sentences were read in the same dictionary's definitions on 2026-09-24: colt (a young male horse), pint (1/8 gallon or 16 ounces, two cups). THE GRADE BAND stored with each word is our suggestion and no standard's. It was informed by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading: Foundational Skills 2.3e (identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences), which lists no words (https://corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ELA_Standards1.pdf, read 2026-09-24). SPELLINGS: every word is in the macOS word list. SENTENCES are ours and none repeats a sentence in another dataset of this site (checked 2026-09-24). Licence: own work

How it works

Closed syllable exception words end in a consonant yet say a long vowel: mind, mild, cold, host, bolt. Lists 1 to 4 hold 41 of them; List 5 holds look-alikes that stay short. Pick a list to print or test.

Read the full guide

The exception patterns

An i before nd or ld is long (mind, mild). An o before ld, st, lt or ll is long (cold, ghost, bolt, scroll). List 4 adds three one-offs: pint, comb and gross. List 5 checks the rule: cost, doll, children and windmill keep the short vowel a closed syllable promises.

Turning a list into a test

Word list prints the words with their sentences. Test sheet gives the speller numbered lines and puts the answers, with sentences, on a last page for the reader. ABC order and Missing letters come from the same list. Start test reads aloud, word by word, and scores it.

  • Mix List 5 into a test with List 3: ghost and cost differ only in the vowel sound.

Questions and answers

What is a closed syllable exception?

A closed syllable ends in a consonant, so its vowel is usually short, as in cost. An exception keeps the consonant ending but says the long vowel: the i in mind, the o in cold, ghost and bolt.

Why is children short when child is long?

The dictionary splits it chil-dren, so ld is broken across two syllables and the i is short. Wil-der-ness works the same way, while child, mild and wild-life keep ild together.

Where are find, kind, gold and most?

On our spelling pattern lists, with child, wild and told. This page holds other words that follow the same rules, so the two can be tested one after the other without repeats.

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