• 86 words

Word With Soft G Lists, by Spelling, to Print or Test

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List 1: g before e or i (genius)

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

  1. 1.geniusIt takes no genius to tie a shoe.
  2. 2.geologyGeology is the study of rocks.
  3. 3.genuineIs that ring made of genuine gold?
  4. 4.geometryIn geometry we measure shapes and angles.
  5. 5.gerbilOur class gerbil runs on a wheel.
  6. 6.giganticA gigantic wave crashed on the shore.
  7. 7.logicUse logic to solve the puzzle.
  8. 8.tragicThe shipwreck was a tragic loss.
  9. 9.originThe river has its origin in the hills.
  10. 10.imagineImagine a castle made of candy.
  11. 11.fragilePack the fragile cups in paper.
  12. 12.registerSign up at the front desk to register.
  13. 13.digitThe number seven has one digit.
  14. 14.rigidThe box has rigid cardboard sides.
  15. 15.agileGoats are agile climbers on steep rocks.
  16. 16.marginWrite your name in the left margin.
  17. 17.regionalOur team made it to the regional finals.

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All 86 words

List 1: g before e or i (genius) 17

  • agile Goats are agile climbers on steep rocks.
  • digit The number seven has one digit.
  • fragile Pack the fragile cups in paper.
  • genius It takes no genius to tie a shoe.
  • genuine Is that ring made of genuine gold?
  • geology Geology is the study of rocks.
  • geometry In geometry we measure shapes and angles.
  • gerbil Our class gerbil runs on a wheel.
  • gigantic A gigantic wave crashed on the shore.
  • imagine Imagine a castle made of candy.
  • logic Use logic to solve the puzzle.
  • margin Write your name in the left margin.
  • origin The river has its origin in the hills.
  • regional Our team made it to the regional finals.
  • register Sign up at the front desk to register.
  • rigid The box has rigid cardboard sides.
  • tragic The shipwreck was a tragic loss.
Show all 86 words (69 more)

List 2: g before y (gym) 14

  • apology He wrote an apology for the broken vase.
  • biology Biology is the study of living things.
  • ecology Ecology looks at how living things share a home.
  • gym We play dodgeball in the gym.
  • gymnast The gymnast landed a perfect flip.
  • gyrate Watch the top gyrate across the floor.
  • gyroscope A spinning gyroscope stays upright.
  • lethargy A bad cold can bring on lethargy.
  • mangy The mangy stray dog needed a bath.
  • prodigy The young chess prodigy beat the adults.
  • stingy Do not be stingy with the crayons.
  • strategy Our strategy was to pass the ball often.
  • trilogy A trilogy is a set of three books.
  • zoology Zoology is the study of animals.

List 3: ge after a consonant (charge) 20

  • barge A long barge floated down the river.
  • bulge The bag had a bulge where the apples sat.
  • charge Charge the tablet before the trip.
  • cringe I cringe when chalk squeaks on the board.
  • diverge The two paths diverge in the woods.
  • emerge Moths emerge from their cocoons.
  • forge The blacksmith heats iron in a forge.
  • fringe Her jacket has fringe on the sleeves.
  • gorge A river runs through the deep gorge.
  • hinge The gate hinge squeaks when it opens.
  • lounge Teachers eat lunch in the staff lounge.
  • lunge The cat made a lunge at the string.
  • merge Two lanes merge into one ahead.
  • plunge Ducks plunge their heads under the water.
  • scrounge Can you scrounge up a pencil for me?
  • splurge We will splurge on ice cream today.
  • sponge Wipe the table with a damp sponge.
  • submerge Submerge the stuck pot in soapy water.
  • twinge I felt a twinge in my knee.
  • urge I had an urge to sing loudly.

List 4: age at the end (village) 19

  • bandage Put a bandage on that scraped knee.
  • cottage We rented a cottage by the lake.
  • courage It took courage to sing on stage.
  • damage Hail can damage a car roof.
  • garbage Take the garbage out on Tuesday.
  • heritage Old buildings are part of our town's heritage.
  • image The image on the screen was blurry.
  • leakage Check the bottle for leakage.
  • luggage Our luggage went around on the belt.
  • message Leave a message after the beep.
  • package A package came in the mail today.
  • passage Read the passage and answer the questions.
  • postage Put enough postage on the letter.
  • shortage A water shortage closed the pool.
  • storage Winter coats are kept in storage.
  • village The village has one small school.
  • vintage Grandpa drives a vintage red truck.
  • voyage The ship began its long voyage.
  • wattage The lamp needs a bulb of low wattage.

List 5: dge (fridge) 16

  • budget We set a budget for the class party.
  • cartridge Change the ink cartridge in the printer.
  • dredge Boats dredge mud from the harbor floor.
  • drudge He felt like a drudge doing every chore.
  • fidget Try not to fidget during the movie.
  • fridge Put the milk back in the fridge.
  • gadget This gadget peels apples in seconds.
  • grudge Try not to hold a grudge.
  • hedgehog A hedgehog rolls into a spiky ball.
  • ledge A pigeon sat on the window ledge.
  • lodging We found lodging near the park.
  • partridge A partridge is a plump brown bird.
  • porridge Hot porridge warms you up in winter.
  • sludge Thick sludge clogged the drain.
  • trudge We had to trudge through deep snow.
  • widget The toy came with a small plastic widget.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen, sorted into 5 lists by the spelling that makes the soft g (j) sound and given sentences for this site. The sorting is ours. No word here is on another spelling or phonics list of this site: the first soft g words (gem, giant, germ, gentle, cage, page, large, orange, bridge, edge, energy) are on the grade, long i, multisyllabic and silent e lists already. SOUNDS AND SPELLINGS: the headword line of all 86 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); its first pronunciation gives the j sound for the g. Left out on purpose: words with a second spelling on the headword line (gelatin, also gelatine; smidgen, also smidgeon; mileage, also milage), gel, which sounds the same as jell, dingy, which has a second word with a hard g, and words said two ways by meaning. Facts in sentences are plain dictionary facts: geology is the study of rocks, biology of living things, zoology of animals, a trilogy is three books, a hedgehog rolls into a spiky ball, moths come out of cocoons. THE GRADE BAND stored with each word (2 for Lists 3 and 5, 2-3 for Lists 1 and 4, 2-4 for List 2) is our suggestion and no standard's. It was informed by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading: Foundational Skills 2.3 and 3.3 (phonics and word analysis in decoding words), which list no words (https://corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ELA_Standards1.pdf). SPELLINGS: every word is in the macOS word list except fridge and widget, which are American Heritage headwords. SENTENCES are ours and none repeats a sentence in another dataset of this site (checked 2026-09-24). Licence: own work

How it works

A word with soft g says j for the g, as in gym. These 86 soft g words sit in 5 lists by spelling: ge or gi, gy, ge after a consonant, age and dge. Pick a list to print or test.

Read the full guide

Soft g words, list by list

List 1 has g before e or i: genius, logic, fragile. List 2 has g before y: gym, biology, strategy. List 3 ends in ge after another consonant: charge, sponge, lounge. List 4 ends in age, said ij: village, courage, package. List 5 is dge after a short vowel: ledge, fridge, gadget.

Three sheets and a spoken test

Word list prints the open list with a sentence under each word. Test sheet has numbered lines and a last page for the grown-up who reads aloud; ABC order and Missing letters come from the same words. Start test says each word, its sentence, then the word again.

  • Before List 5, compare huge and fudge: after a long vowel the ending is ge, after a short vowel it is dge.

Questions and answers

When does g make the soft sound?

Usually when e, i or y comes right after it: gem, giraffe, gym. Before a, o and u, and at the end of a word, g is hard: game, go, gum, bag.

Are there words where ge or gi is hard?

Yes, some common ones: get, give, girl, gift, tiger, finger and gecko. They break the rule, so they are left off these lists.

Why are gem, giant and cage not here?

They are on our grade 2 and long i spelling lists already. This page adds 86 more soft g words, so a child who knows gem can go on to genius and gerbil.

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