240 cards

Word Family Flashcards

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-at 6

b + at bat: it hits a ball, or it flies at night. The -at family, with mat and sat.
c + at cat: a pet that purrs. The -at family, with hat and bat.
fl + at flat: smooth and level, like a table top. The -at family, with cat and hat.
h + at hat: you wear it on your head. The -at family, with bat and mat.
m + at mat: a small rug by the door. The -at family, with sat and flat.
s + at sat: past of sit, as in I sat on the rug. The -at family, with flat and cat.

-an 6

c + an can: a metal tin for food, or to be able to. The -an family, with fan and man.
f + an fan: it blows air to cool you. The -an family, with man and pan.
m + an man: a grown-up boy. The -an family, with pan and van.
p + an pan: you cook in it on the stove. The -an family, with van and plan.
pl + an plan: what you decide to do before you start. The -an family, with can and fan.
v + an van: a big car that carries loads. The -an family, with plan and can.

Show all 240 cards (228 more)

-ap 6

c + ap cap: a hat with a brim at the front. The -ap family, with map and nap.
cl + ap clap: hit your hands together. The -ap family, with snap and cap.
m + ap map: a drawing that shows where places are. The -ap family, with nap and tap.
n + ap nap: a short sleep in the day. The -ap family, with tap and clap.
sn + ap snap: break with a crack, or click your fingers. The -ap family, with cap and map.
t + ap tap: a light knock with a finger. The -ap family, with clap and snap.

-ag 6

b + ag bag: you carry things in it. The -ag family, with tag and wag.
dr + ag drag: pull along the ground. The -ag family, with bag and tag.
fl + ag flag: cloth with the colors of a country. The -ag family, with drag and bag.
r + ag rag: an old cloth for cleaning. The -ag family, with flag and drag.
t + ag tag: a chasing game, or a label. The -ag family, with wag and rag.
w + ag wag: what a happy dog's tail does. The -ag family, with rag and flag.

-ad 6

d + ad dad: a short word for father. The -ad family, with sad and mad.
gl + ad glad: happy and pleased. The -ad family, with dad and sad.
h + ad had: past of have, as in I had a cold. The -ad family, with glad and dad.
m + ad mad: angry. The -ad family, with pad and had.
p + ad pad: sheets of paper joined at the top. The -ad family, with had and glad.
s + ad sad: not happy. The -ad family, with mad and pad.

-am 6

cl + am clam: a sea animal with two shells. The -am family, with swam and jam.
h + am ham: meat from a pig. The -am family, with ram and yam.
j + am jam: a sweet fruit spread for toast. The -am family, with ham and ram.
r + am ram: a male sheep. The -am family, with yam and clam.
sw + am swam: past of swim, as in we swam in the lake. The -am family, with jam and ham.
y + am yam: a root vegetable you bake or mash. The -am family, with clam and swam.

-ack 6

b + ack back: the part of you behind your chest. The -ack family, with pack and sack.
bl + ack black: the darkest color. The -ack family, with snack and back.
p + ack pack: put things in a bag for a trip. The -ack family, with sack and rack.
r + ack rack: a frame for hanging coats or drying dishes. The -ack family, with black and snack.
s + ack sack: a big cloth bag. The -ack family, with rack and black.
sn + ack snack: a small bite between meals. The -ack family, with back and pack.

-en 6

h + en hen: a female chicken. The -en family, with pen and ten.
m + en men: more than one man. The -en family, with then and when.
p + en pen: you write with it in ink. The -en family, with ten and men.
t + en ten: the number after nine. The -en family, with men and then.
th + en then: after that, as in wash, then dry. The -en family, with when and hen.
wh + en when: at what time, as in when is lunch. The -en family, with hen and pen.

-et 6

g + et get: fetch or receive. The -et family, with net and pet.
j + et jet: a fast plane. The -et family, with vet and get.
n + et net: it catches fish, or a ball in a goal. The -et family, with pet and wet.
p + et pet: an animal that lives with you. The -et family, with wet and jet.
v + et vet: a doctor for animals. The -et family, with get and net.
w + et wet: covered in water. The -et family, with jet and vet.

-ed 6

b + ed bed: you sleep in it. The -ed family, with red and fed.
f + ed fed: past of feed, as in I fed the cat. The -ed family, with led and shed.
l + ed led: past of lead, as in she led the line. The -ed family, with shed and sled.
r + ed red: the color of a stop sign. The -ed family, with fed and led.
sh + ed shed: a small hut for tools. The -ed family, with sled and bed.
sl + ed sled: it slides downhill on snow. The -ed family, with bed and red.

-ell 6

b + ell bell: it rings. The -ell family, with well and tell.
s + ell sell: give something for money. The -ell family, with shell and smell.
sh + ell shell: the hard cover of a snail or an egg. The -ell family, with smell and bell.
sm + ell smell: what your nose does. The -ell family, with bell and well.
t + ell tell: say it to someone. The -ell family, with sell and shell.
w + ell well: a deep hole for water, or in good health. The -ell family, with tell and sell.

-ig 6

b + ig big: large. The -ig family, with dig and wig.
d + ig dig: make a hole in the ground. The -ig family, with wig and fig.
f + ig fig: a soft sweet fruit full of tiny seeds. The -ig family, with twig and pig.
p + ig pig: a farm animal that oinks. The -ig family, with big and dig.
tw + ig twig: a tiny branch. The -ig family, with pig and big.
w + ig wig: pretend hair you can take off. The -ig family, with fig and twig.

-in 6

b + in bin: a box for storing things or for trash. The -in family, with chin and twin.
ch + in chin: the part of your face below your mouth. The -in family, with twin and pin.
f + in fin: a fish steers with it. The -in family, with win and bin.
p + in pin: a thin sharp bit of metal that holds cloth. The -in family, with fin and win.
tw + in twin: one of two children born together. The -in family, with pin and fin.
w + in win: come first in a game. The -in family, with bin and chin.

-ip 6

ch + ip chip: a thin crunchy slice of potato. The -ip family, with lip and zip.
d + ip dip: put in and lift out, or a sauce for chips. The -ip family, with tip and ship.
l + ip lip: the soft edge of your mouth. The -ip family, with zip and dip.
sh + ip ship: a big boat that crosses the sea. The -ip family, with chip and lip.
t + ip tip: the pointed end of a pencil. The -ip family, with ship and chip.
z + ip zip: close a jacket with its zipper. The -ip family, with dip and tip.

-it 6

b + it bit: a small piece, or past of bite. The -it family, with kit and knit.
f + it fit: be the right size. The -it family, with bit and kit.
h + it hit: strike a ball with a bat. The -it family, with fit and bit.
k + it kit: a set of tools or parts in one box. The -it family, with knit and sit.
kn + it knit: make a scarf from yarn; the k is silent. The -it family, with sit and hit.
s + it sit: rest on a chair. The -it family, with hit and fit.

-ill 6

ch + ill chill: a cold feeling. The -ill family, with spill and hill.
f + ill fill: make full. The -ill family, with mill and will.
h + ill hill: a small mountain. The -ill family, with fill and mill.
m + ill mill: it grinds grain into flour. The -ill family, with will and chill.
sp + ill spill: let a drink fall out of the cup. The -ill family, with hill and fill.
w + ill will: going to, as in I will help. The -ill family, with chill and spill.

-ick 6

br + ick brick: a baked clay block for building walls. The -ick family, with chick and kick.
ch + ick chick: a baby bird. The -ick family, with kick and pick.
k + ick kick: move a ball with your foot. The -ick family, with pick and sick.
l + ick lick: touch with your tongue. The -ick family, with brick and chick.
p + ick pick: choose. The -ick family, with sick and lick.
s + ick sick: not well. The -ick family, with lick and brick.

-op 6

h + op hop: jump on one foot. The -op family, with mop and top.
m + op mop: it cleans the floor. The -op family, with top and pop.
p + op pop: the sound of a balloon bursting. The -op family, with shop and stop.
sh + op shop: a store, or to buy things. The -op family, with stop and hop.
st + op stop: do not go. The -op family, with hop and mop.
t + op top: the highest part. The -op family, with pop and shop.

-ot 6

c + ot cot: a small folding bed. The -ot family, with not and spot.
d + ot dot: a small round mark. The -ot family, with cot and not.
h + ot hot: very warm. The -ot family, with pot and dot.
n + ot not: it makes a no, as in I am not tired. The -ot family, with spot and hot.
p + ot pot: a deep pan for cooking. The -ot family, with dot and cot.
sp + ot spot: a small mark, or a place. The -ot family, with hot and pot.

-og 6

d + og dog: a pet that barks. The -og family, with log and fog.
f + og fog: a cloud that sits on the ground. The -og family, with hog and jog.
fr + og frog: it hops and croaks. The -og family, with dog and log.
h + og hog: a big pig. The -og family, with jog and frog.
j + og jog: run slowly. The -og family, with frog and dog.
l + og log: a cut piece of a tree trunk. The -og family, with fog and hog.

-ock 6

bl + ock block: a cube to build with. The -ock family, with sock and rock.
cl + ock clock: it shows the time. The -ock family, with block and sock.
d + ock dock: where boats tie up. The -ock family, with clock and block.
l + ock lock: it keeps a door shut until a key opens it. The -ock family, with dock and clock.
r + ock rock: a stone. The -ock family, with lock and dock.
s + ock sock: you wear it inside a shoe. The -ock family, with rock and lock.

-ug 6

b + ug bug: an insect. The -ug family, with hug and mug.
h + ug hug: hold someone close in your arms. The -ug family, with mug and rug.
j + ug jug: a container with a handle for pouring. The -ug family, with plug and bug.
m + ug mug: a big cup with a handle. The -ug family, with rug and jug.
pl + ug plug: it stops the water in a sink. The -ug family, with bug and hug.
r + ug rug: a small carpet. The -ug family, with jug and plug.

-un 6

b + un bun: a small round bread. The -un family, with pun and spun.
f + un fun: a good time. The -un family, with bun and pun.
p + un pun: a joke that plays on two meanings. The -un family, with spun and sun.
r + un run: move fast on your legs. The -un family, with fun and bun.
s + un sun: the star that lights our day. The -un family, with run and fun.
sp + un spun: past of spin, as in the top spun. The -un family, with sun and run.

-ub 6

c + ub cub: a baby bear or lion. The -ub family, with rub and sub.
cl + ub club: a group that meets, like a chess club. The -ub family, with scrub and tub.
r + ub rub: move your hand back and forth on something. The -ub family, with sub and club.
s + ub sub: short for submarine or substitute. The -ub family, with club and scrub.
scr + ub scrub: clean by rubbing hard. The -ub family, with tub and cub.
t + ub tub: you take a bath in it. The -ub family, with cub and rub.

-ut 6

b + ut but: it joins two ideas, as in small but strong. The -ut family, with rut and shut.
c + ut cut: what scissors do. The -ut family, with nut and hut.
h + ut hut: a tiny simple house. The -ut family, with but and rut.
n + ut nut: a seed in a hard shell. The -ut family, with hut and but.
r + ut rut: a groove worn in a road by wheels. The -ut family, with shut and cut.
sh + ut shut: close. The -ut family, with cut and nut.

-ump 6

b + ump bump: knock into something, or a small swelling. The -ump family, with pump and dump.
d + ump dump: drop in a pile, or where trash goes. The -ump family, with lump and stump.
j + ump jump: push off the ground with both feet. The -ump family, with bump and pump.
l + ump lump: a small solid piece. The -ump family, with stump and jump.
p + ump pump: it pushes air into a tire. The -ump family, with dump and lump.
st + ump stump: what is left when a tree is cut down. The -ump family, with jump and bump.

-ing 6

k + ing king: a man who rules a country. The -ing family, with ring and sing.
r + ing ring: you wear it on a finger, or what a bell does. The -ing family, with sing and wing.
s + ing sing: make music with your voice. The -ing family, with wing and thing.
sw + ing swing: a seat that moves back and forth. The -ing family, with king and ring.
th + ing thing: any object. The -ing family, with swing and king.
w + ing wing: a bird flies with two of them. The -ing family, with thing and swing.

-ink 6

dr + ink drink: swallow water or juice. The -ink family, with pink and sink.
l + ink link: one loop of a chain. The -ink family, with think and drink.
p + ink pink: red mixed with white. The -ink family, with sink and wink.
s + ink sink: where you wash your hands, or go under water. The -ink family, with wink and link.
th + ink think: use your mind. The -ink family, with drink and pink.
w + ink wink: shut one eye quickly. The -ink family, with link and think.

-ank 6

b + ank bank: it keeps money safe, or the side of a river. The -ank family, with tank and sank.
bl + ank blank: with nothing written on it. The -ank family, with bank and tank.
s + ank sank: past of sink, as in the stone sank. The -ank family, with yank and thank.
t + ank tank: a big container for water or fish. The -ank family, with sank and yank.
th + ank thank: say you are grateful. The -ank family, with blank and bank.
y + ank yank: pull hard and fast. The -ank family, with thank and blank.

-unk 6

b + unk bunk: a bed built above another bed. The -unk family, with junk and dunk.
d + unk dunk: dip a cookie in milk, or push a ball down the hoop. The -unk family, with sunk and skunk.
j + unk junk: old things nobody wants. The -unk family, with dunk and sunk.
s + unk sunk: gone under, as in the boat has sunk. The -unk family, with skunk and trunk.
sk + unk skunk: a black and white animal with a strong smell. The -unk family, with trunk and bunk.
tr + unk trunk: an elephant's nose, or the main stem of a tree. The -unk family, with bunk and junk.

-ake 6

b + ake bake: cook in an oven. The -ake family, with make and take.
c + ake cake: a sweet baked treat. The -ake family, with lake and bake.
l + ake lake: water with land all around it. The -ake family, with bake and make.
m + ake make: build or create. The -ake family, with take and snake.
sn + ake snake: a long reptile with no legs. The -ake family, with cake and lake.
t + ake take: get hold of. The -ake family, with snake and cake.

-ail 6

m + ail mail: letters and packages. The -ail family, with nail and tail.
n + ail nail: a metal pin you hammer, or the tip of a finger. The -ail family, with tail and sail.
s + ail sail: cloth that catches the wind on a boat. The -ail family, with snail and trail.
sn + ail snail: a slow animal with a shell. The -ail family, with trail and mail.
t + ail tail: the end of a dog or a cat. The -ail family, with sail and snail.
tr + ail trail: a path through the woods. The -ail family, with mail and nail.

-ay 6

d + ay day: the time when the sun is up. The -ay family, with say and way.
h + ay hay: dried grass that horses eat. The -ay family, with play and stay.
pl + ay play: have fun with a game. The -ay family, with stay and day.
s + ay say: speak words. The -ay family, with way and hay.
st + ay stay: do not leave. The -ay family, with day and say.
w + ay way: a path, or how to do something. The -ay family, with hay and play.

-eep 6

b + eep beep: the sound of a car horn. The -eep family, with weep and sheep.
d + eep deep: far down. The -eep family, with keep and beep.
k + eep keep: hold on to. The -eep family, with beep and weep.
sh + eep sheep: a woolly farm animal; two are still sheep. The -eep family, with sleep and deep.
sl + eep sleep: what you do at night. The -eep family, with deep and keep.
w + eep weep: cry. The -eep family, with sheep and sleep.

-ice 6

d + ice dice: cubes with dots for board games. The -ice family, with nice and slice.
m + ice mice: more than one mouse. The -ice family, with rice and dice.
n + ice nice: kind or pleasant. The -ice family, with slice and twice.
r + ice rice: small white grains you cook. The -ice family, with dice and nice.
sl + ice slice: a thin flat piece of bread or pizza. The -ice family, with twice and mice.
tw + ice twice: two times. The -ice family, with mice and rice.

-ide 6

br + ide bride: a woman on her wedding day. The -ide family, with ride and hide.
h + ide hide: get out of sight. The -ide family, with side and wide.
r + ide ride: sit on a bike or a horse and travel. The -ide family, with hide and side.
s + ide side: the left or right part. The -ide family, with wide and slide.
sl + ide slide: you climb up it and slip down. The -ide family, with bride and ride.
w + ide wide: far from one edge to the other. The -ide family, with slide and bride.

-ight 6

br + ight bright: full of light. The -ight family, with flight and light.
fl + ight flight: a trip by plane. The -ight family, with light and night.
l + ight light: it lets you see, or not heavy. The -ight family, with night and right.
n + ight night: when it is dark. The -ight family, with right and tight.
r + ight right: correct, or the opposite of left. The -ight family, with tight and bright.
t + ight tight: fitting very closely. The -ight family, with bright and flight.

-ine 6

l + ine line: a long thin mark, or people waiting in a row. The -ine family, with mine and pine.
m + ine mine: belonging to me. The -ine family, with pine and vine.
n + ine nine: the number after eight. The -ine family, with line and mine.
p + ine pine: an evergreen tree with needles. The -ine family, with vine and shine.
sh + ine shine: give off light. The -ine family, with nine and line.
v + ine vine: a climbing plant. The -ine family, with shine and nine.

-old 6

c + old cold: not warm. The -old family, with gold and hold.
f + old fold: bend paper over itself. The -old family, with sold and told.
g + old gold: a shiny yellow metal. The -old family, with hold and fold.
h + old hold: keep in your hands. The -old family, with fold and sold.
s + old sold: past of sell, as in they sold the car. The -old family, with told and cold.
t + old told: past of tell, as in he told a story. The -old family, with cold and gold.

-one 6

b + one bone: a hard part inside your body. The -one family, with cone and zone.
c + one cone: a shape with a point; it holds ice cream. The -one family, with zone and tone.
ph + one phone: you call people with it. The -one family, with bone and cone.
st + one stone: a small rock. The -one family, with phone and bone.
t + one tone: the sound of a voice or a note. The -one family, with stone and phone.
z + one zone: an area set aside for one use. The -one family, with tone and stone.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the 40 endings, the 6 words in each, the order and every meaning line were chosen and written for this site. Every family was read for rude and unkind words before it shipped (no fat, brat, lame, gun or kill, and no -uck family). Checked 2026-09-19: all 240 words have an English entry in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cat and the like); 239 are also in a standard English word list (beep is newer than that list). Onset and rime (in cat, sat and mat the shared rime is at) and word families as a way to teach rhyming patterns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonics. Dog with the vowel of saw in American English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_history_of_English_open_back_vowels. Grades follow the Common Core foundational skills RF.K.2a (rhyming words), RF.K.2c (blend and segment onsets and rimes), RF.K.3d, RF.1.3b and RF.1.3c (final -e and vowel teams), read in the CCSSO copy at https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf. Licence: own work

How it works

These word family flashcards hold 240 cards in 40 rhyming families, from -at and -an to -ight and -old. Each front splits a word into its first sound and its ending (c + at). The back joins them and adds the meaning.

Read the full guide

Pick one family or a vowel mix

Each family chip under Show only holds 6 words, single letters first (c + at) and a blend or digraph last (fl + at, wh + en, kn + it). A mix chip shuffles every family of one vowel for sorting: Short a mix is 7 families, 42 cards. No two endings sound alike, so every card has one right pile.

Print a family on one sheet

Choose a set, turn a card, then Print cards. A family fits 1 sheet of Letter or A4 paper, Short a mix takes 4 and all 240 take 20. Print double-sided and flip on the long edge: the rows of backs are mirrored, so cat lands behind c + at. In pairs, the partner holding the card checks the word and meaning.

In some American accents dog has the vowel of saw and jog does not, so the -og words may not all rhyme. Sort by spelling.
Done, gone and none are spelled like bone and do not rhyme with it, so the -one family leaves them out.
Every family was read for rude and unkind words before it went in. There is no -uck family, so a printed set can go home.

Questions and answers

What are word families?

A word family is a group of words that share an ending and rhyme, such as cat, mat and sat. Teachers call the shared part (-at) the rime and the sound before it the onset. A child who knows one ending can read the group.

What order should word families be taught in?

The chips run from short a to short u, then -ing, -ink, -ank and -unk, then long vowels, because the Common Core places final e and vowel teams in grade 1. Follow your own phonics program where its order differs.

When do children learn word families?

Kindergarten and grade 1. Blending a first sound onto an ending is a kindergarten standard (RF.K.2c), and -ake, -ail and -ight belong with grade 1 (RF.1.3c). That is our reading of the standards, not an official alignment.

How do you use word family flashcards?

Show the front. The child says the first sound, then the ending, then the whole word, and flips to check. Nothing is typed here: the front already shows every letter, so typing would be copying.