• 96 words
  • Checked October 2026

Ph Spelling Words

Pick a ph, wh or gh list, then print it or press Start test to hear it read aloud.

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The 12 words of this list. Add or change any. For your own list, press Clear first.

For a sentence, put it after a colon: rain: The rain fell all day. Up to 40 words.

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List 1: ph at the start (phone)

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

  1. 1.phoneMy phone buzzed inside my backpack.
  2. 2.photoI taped the photo inside my locker.
  3. 3.phraseThe coach repeats one phrase before every game.
  4. 4.physicalWe have physical education on Fridays.
  5. 5.phloxPurple phlox spread under the mailbox.
  6. 6.phewI said phew when the race ended.
  7. 7.phoneticThe dictionary gives a phonetic spelling.
  8. 8.photocopierThe photocopier ran out of paper.
  9. 9.photogenicOur photogenic puppy loves the camera.
  10. 10.philharmonicTickets for the philharmonic sold out in an hour.
  11. 11.phonogramEach phonogram card shows one spelling.
  12. 12.phenomenalThe fireworks show was phenomenal.

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All 96 words

List 1: ph at the start (phone) 12

  • phenomenal The fireworks show was phenomenal.
  • phew I said phew when the race ended.
  • philharmonic Tickets for the philharmonic sold out in an hour.
  • phlox Purple phlox spread under the mailbox.
  • phone My phone buzzed inside my backpack.
  • phonetic The dictionary gives a phonetic spelling.
  • phonogram Each phonogram card shows one spelling.
  • photo I taped the photo inside my locker.
  • photocopier The photocopier ran out of paper.
  • photogenic Our photogenic puppy loves the camera.
  • phrase The coach repeats one phrase before every game.
  • physical We have physical education on Fridays.

List 2: ph in the middle (dolphin) 12

  • amphibious The amphibious plane landed on the bay.
  • aphid An aphid sat on the rose stem.
  • asphalt Fresh asphalt covered the playground.
  • decipher I could not decipher the messy note.
  • dolphin The dolphin clicked and whistled at the trainer.
  • emphatic Her answer was an emphatic no.
  • gopher A gopher popped out of its hole.
  • headphone A foam pad fell off my headphone.
  • hyphenate The editor chose to hyphenate the word.
  • nephew My aunt calls me her favorite nephew.
  • pamphlet The ranger handed us a trail pamphlet.
  • trophy The team put the trophy on a shelf.

List 3: ph in longer words (elephant) 12

  • alphabet My baby cousin is learning the alphabet.
  • alphabetize Please alphabetize these library cards.
  • cellophane The basket was wrapped in clear cellophane.
  • elephant An elephant sprayed water over its back.
  • geographer The geographer unrolled a map of the coast.
  • megaphone The coach called the score through a megaphone.
  • microphone The singer held the microphone tightly.
  • smartphone Mom checked the map on her smartphone.
  • speakerphone Dad put the call on speakerphone.
  • stratosphere The weather balloon rose into the stratosphere.
  • symphonic We heard a symphonic concert in the park.
  • telephone Grandpa answered the telephone on the second ring.

List 4: ph at the end (graph) 12

  • choreograph Two students will choreograph the spring show.
  • digraph The word ship starts with a digraph.
  • epigraph The book opens with an epigraph from a poem.
  • glyph Each glyph was carved into the stone.
  • graph We made a graph of the rainfall.
  • monograph The professor wrote a monograph on beetles.
  • morph We watched the tadpoles morph into frogs.
  • nymph The nymph in the myth lived by a stream.
  • paragraph Her story has one paragraph about the storm.
  • photograph The photograph shows a steam train.
  • trigraph The word catch ends with a trigraph.
  • triumph Winning the final game was a triumph.

List 5: wh question words (when) 12

  • what I forgot what the recipe needs next.
  • whatever Pack whatever you need for the trip.
  • when I wonder when the bus will come.
  • whenever Call me whenever you are ready.
  • where I know where the spare batteries are.
  • wherever My cat follows me wherever I go.
  • which Guess which hand holds the coin.
  • whichever Pick whichever color you like best.
  • whoever We thanked whoever left the muffins.
  • whom To whom should I give this note?
  • whomever Invite whomever you wish to the picnic.
  • why Nobody knows why the dog barked.

List 6: wh at the start (whale) 12

  • whale A whale surfaced near the ship.
  • wheat The farmer cut the golden wheat.
  • wheel The front wheel of my scooter squeaks.
  • wheeze The old pump began to wheeze.
  • whim We stopped for ice cream on a whim.
  • whimper The puppy began to whimper at the door.
  • whinny A soft whinny came from the stable.
  • whir I heard the whir of the fan.
  • whisker The kitten had one very long whisker.
  • white A white goat stood on the barn roof.
  • whittle Grandpa likes to whittle small wooden birds.
  • whopper The pumpkin at the fair was a whopper.

List 7: wh in longer words (anywhere) 12

  • anywhere My keys could be anywhere in this room.
  • awhile Sit and rest awhile under the tree.
  • buckwheat We ate buckwheat pancakes for breakfast.
  • cartwheel She did a cartwheel across the lawn.
  • elsewhere The store was closed, so we shopped elsewhere.
  • everywhere Glitter went everywhere when the jar tipped.
  • meanwhile The soup cooked, and meanwhile we set the table.
  • nowhere The path seemed to lead nowhere.
  • pinwheel The pinwheel spun in the breeze.
  • somewhere A cricket is hiding somewhere in the garage.
  • wheelchair The ramp is wide enough for a wheelchair.
  • whiteboard Our team solved the riddle on the whiteboard.

List 8: gh that says f (laugh) 12

  • cough The dust made me cough.
  • coughing The dusty attic set us coughing.
  • enough Is there enough glue for the collage?
  • laugh Silly rhymes make my baby sister laugh.
  • laughed Everyone laughed at the silly puppet.
  • laughing The baby kept laughing at the bubbles.
  • rough The bark of the oak feels rough.
  • rougher The sea grew rougher by evening.
  • roughly The recipe makes roughly thirty dumplings.
  • tough The last puzzle was really tough.
  • tougher The second quiz was tougher than expected.
  • toughest The toughest part was the final lap.

How it works

These ph spelling words come with wh and gh lists: 96 words in 8 lists of twelve. Ph says f at the start, middle or end of a word, and gh says f in laugh and tough.

Read the full guide

Four lists of ph words

List 1 puts ph at the start (phone, photo, phrase), Lists 2 and 3 in the middle (dolphin, trophy, elephant, alphabet) and List 4 at the end (graph, triumph, digraph). In every one ph says f, so a child who writes dolfin has heard the word right.

Wh spelling words and the gh list

List 5 holds question words: what, when, where, why and which, then whatever and whoever. Lists 6 and 7 run from whale and wheel to anywhere and whiteboard. List 8 has the easy gh spelling words, laugh, cough, rough, tough and enough, with forms such as laughing and toughest.

  • Phew and few sound the same, as do rough and ruff. The sentence read with the word settles it.

Questions and answers

What are some easy ph spelling words?

List 1 opens with phone, photo and phrase, and List 2 with dolphin, trophy, nephew and gopher. Longer ones, such as megaphone and alphabetize, come in List 3.

Which wh words begin with an h sound?

Whom, whoever and whomever in List 5: the dictionary shows them starting with h, as who does. In every other wh word on the page the dictionary shows w first and hw second.

Which vowels come before gh when it says f?

Two pairs: au in laugh, laughed and laughing, and ou in cough, rough, tough and enough. In other words the same letters are silent, as in daughter and thought.

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