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Spelling new words like though, thought, through, throughout, thorough and tough doesn’t have to be boring. Students can have fun spelling with our word lists of over 100 endings and guide on syllables, onset, rime and rhyme in many engaging ways.
This simple spelling guide includes short explanations of the terms and word lists to keep students busy. These can be used for classroom spelling games, flashcards, posters, poetry and journaling. Get ready to make spelling fun.
CLICK HERE to Improve Spelling and Reading Skills with 10 BOOKS OF SHORT STORIES with rimes.
Over 100 word lists for spelling fun
AI in words: 7 lists of rimes for spelling activities
EA in words: 15 lists of rimes for spelling activities
EI in words: 8 lists of rimes for spelling activities
EE in words: 12 lists of rimes for spelling activities
EY in words: 5 lists of rimes for spelling activities
IE in words: 11 lists of rimes for spelling activities
OA in words: 12 lists of rimes for spelling activities
OO in words: 16 lists of rimes for spelling activities
OU in words: 9 lists of rimes for spelling activities
OW in words: 15 lists of rimes for spelling activities
Digraph: Improve spelling with 22 word lists of 2-letter graphemes
Trigraph: Spell better with 19 word lists of 3-letter graphemes
4 Letters – one sound: Improve spelling with 5 word lists of 4-letter graphemes
Spell words easier with lists of 4 grapheme types
AIN words: Learn to spell with rime word list
EAR words: Learn trigraph list with homophone guide
EED words: Learn to spell with word list
KEY ending words: Learn to spell with word list
OAT words: Learn to spell with rime word list
OOT words: Learn to spell with rime word list
OWN words: Learn to spell with rime word list
EIGH words: Learn 2 English sounds with these word lists
OUGH words: Learn 7 English sounds with these word lists
Guide on syllable, onset, rime and rhyme
What is a syllable
A syllable is a part of a word that has at least one vowel sound within it. You can clap your hands to count syllables in a word e.g. ape has one syllable, apple has two, and applesauce has three. There are 6 types of syllables:
open syllable ends in a vowel (she, motel, revise)
closed syllable ends with a consonant (fruit, welcome, compose)
vowel consonant e syllable (wake, compete, dislike)
r-controlled syllable (car, resort, portable)
vowel team syllable (laugh, goat, meaning)
consonant -le syllable (simple, table, cycle)
What is onset
Onset is the letter or blend before a vowel in a syllable. It can be one, two or three consonants.
In cat, the onset is c. In drain, the onset is dr. In through, the onset is thr. In a word with 3 syllables like catalogue, the onsets are c, t and l. Note that the g is not counted because there is no vowel sound after it as gue makes one sound.
Place words on a board or paper and allow children to draw a line between the onset and the vowel in the word.
What is rime
Rime is the vowel and letters that come after the onset in a syllable. There can be one or more than one rime in a word.
In cat, the rime is at. In drain, the rime is ain. In through, the rime is ough. In catalogue, the rimes are at, al and ogue.
Allow children to highlight the rime or rimes in words.
What is rhyme
Rhyme is the close similarity in the final sounds of two or more words. In poems, rhyme is commonly used at the end of the lines.
Words that rhyme with cat are fat, hat, sat and mat which all have the same rime – at. However, red, head and said also rhyme but don’t have the same rime – ed, ead and aid.
List of words for spelling exercises
Let’s look at some words to help students spot syllables, onset, rime and rhyme. Use this list to make flashcards, posters, play rhyming games, and write poems.
Allow children to spot words that rhyme but don’t have the same rime and words that have the same rime but don’t rhyme.
Each heading is a guide for the words in the list that have similar letters which may or may not sound the same.
When you use our spelling word lists, feel free to share your creativity to be published on this website for the world to see at contact@studyzoneinstitute.com. Share your name and links to your accounts to allow our readers to see more of your work.
-aid
afraid, aid, raid, said, paid, maid, laid, braid
-ail
ail, rail, mail, fail, pail, nail, sail, tail, jail, snail, frail, avail, trail, detail, daily, tailor, sailor
-aim
aim, claim, proclaim
-ain
vain, pain, chain, curtain, stain, drain, sprain, strain, captain, domain, remain, again, obtain, contain, explain, mountain, maintain, fountain, rain, train, gain, grain, brain, complain
-air
pair, hair, hairy, fair, fairy, chair, flair, stair, repair, lair
-ais
waist, raisin, praise, daisy, raise
-ait
bait, wait, plait, await, trait, portrait, straight
-ea
area, flea, idea, pea, plea, sea, shea, tea
-ead
ahead, instead, bread, beard, bead, dead, dread, head, knead, lead, mead, read, spread, tread
-eaf
deaf, leaf
-eak
beak, bleak, break, creak, freak, leak, peak, sneak, speak, squeak, steak, streak, teak, weak, wreak
-eal
appeal, meal, conceal, cereal, deal, heal, ideal, meal, real, reveal, seal, surreal, steal, squeal, teal, veal, zeal
-eam
team, beam, cream, dream, gleam, ream, seam, scream, steam, stream
-ean
clean, bean, ocean, dean, lean, mean, wean
-eap
leap, cheap, heap, reap
-ear
appear, bear, clear, dear, fear, gear, hear, near, pear, rear, spear, swear, tear, wear, year
-eas
ease, cease, crease, grease, lease, please, release, tease
-eat
beat, cheat, create, defeat, feat, great, heat, pleat, meat, neat, repeat, seat, sweat, threat, wheat
-eau
beau, bureau, plateau
-each
reach, beach, bleach, breach, leach, teach, peach, preach
-east
beast, breast, feast, east, least, yeast
-eave
leave, weave, greave, heave
-ee
agree, see, bee, fee, free, tee, knee, tree, three, free, glee, spree
-eed
feed, freed, greed, heed, indeed, need, seed, speed, agreed, exceed, bleed, breed, deed, weed
-eef
Beef
Reef
-eek
cheek, creek, geek, meek, leek, peek, reek, seek, week
-eel
eel, feel, kneel, peel, reel, steel, wheel
-eem
deem, seem, redeem, esteem, agreement
-een
green, keen, teen, ween, seen, been, screen, queen, between
-eep
beep, deep, creep, jeep, keep, peep, seep, sheep, sleep, steep, sweep, weep
-eer
beer, deer, peer, steer, sheer
-eet
beet, feet, fleet, greet, meet, street, sweet
-eech
speech, screech, leech
-eeze
breeze, freeze, sneeze, squeeze, wheeze
-eil
veil, unveil, ceiling, rottweiler
-ein
rein, reindeer, vein, caffeine, being, protein
-eir
heir, their, weird, weirdo
-eis
feist, feisty, heist, leisure
-eit
albeit, either, neither, conceit, deceit, receipt
-eigh
eight, eighteen, eighty, weigh, weight, overweight, neigh, neighbour, height, freight, sleigh
-eign
reign, foreign, feign, sovereign
-c-eive
conceive, receive, deceive, perceive
-ey
they, obey, whey, grey, prey, survey, hey, convey
-k-ey
key, donkey, monkey, turkey, turnkey, whiskey, jockey, hockey
-l-ey
trolley, alley, volley, valley, pulley, barley, parsley
-n-ey
money, honey, kidney, chutney, chimney, cockney, journey
-s-ey
jersey, horsey, Malmsey, odyssey
-ie
die, lie, tie, pie, calorie, cookie, movie, beanie, hippie, junkie, genie, siege, shriek, eerie, smoothie
auntie, cutie, foodie, hoodie, bootie, baddie, goalie, birdie, weenie, bookie, hottie, veggie, softie, oldie, dearie, techie, doggie
-ied
cried, fried, tried, died, lied, spied, shied, studied, varied, married, applied
-ief
grief, brief, chief, kerchief, mischief, thief, relief, belief
-ien
science, ambience, hygiene, client, conscience, ancient, deficient, deficiency, efficient, sufficient
friend, fiend, alien, patient, patience, obedient, nutrient, ambient, audience, client
–ier
tier, pier, plier, pierce, flier, fiery, fierce, glacier, courier, barrier, soldier, carrier, premier, pacifier
-ies
cries, dies, flies, fiesta, kiddies, fries, lies, pies, patties, cookies, skies, ties, spies, priest, diesel, series, species, rabies
-iet
diet, quiet, anxiety, society, variety
-iew
preview, review, interview, viewpoint
-iece
niece, piece, masterpiece, centrepiece, earpiece, showpiece, headpiece, timepiece
-ield
field, shield, yield, wield
-ieve
achieve, believe, grieve, relieve, retrieve, sieve
-oa
cocoa, boa, moa, Koa, koala, koa
-oad
broad, download, overload, load, truckload, road, roadblock, toad
-oaf
oaf, loaf, meatloaf
-oak
oak, cloak, croak, soak, hoax, coax
-oal
coal, goal, foal, charcoal
-oam
roam, foam
-oan
moan, groan, loan
-oap
soap, soapy, handsoap
-oar
oar, boar, roar, board, hoard, soar, whiteboard, keyboard, motherboard, cupboard, cardboard, overboard, billboard
-oas
boast, coast, coastline, roast, toast, oasis
-oat
oat, boat, lifeboat, speedboat, bloat, coat, raincoat, waistcoat, goat, gloat, float, throat, afloat, loath, loathe
-oach
approach, broach, coach, poach, roach
-oo
too, woo, zoo, igloo
-ood
blood, good, wood, hood, stood, food, flood, mood
-oof
goof, hoof, poof, proof, roof, spoof, woof
-oog
boogie, scrooge, stooge, googly
-ook
book, cook, crook, hook, jook, look, nook, took, shook, spook, cookie
-ool
cool, drool, fool, pool, school, spool, stool, tool, wool
-oom
boom, broom, bloom, doom, gloom, groom, loom, room, zoom
-oon
moon, noon, soon, spoon, toon, saloon, maroon, balloon
-oop
coop, poop, droop, hoop, loop, scoop, stoop, snoop, swoop, whoop, troop, blooper
-oor
door, floor, poor, moor
-oos
choose, goose, loose, moose, noose, boost, swoosh
-oot
boot, foot, loot, moot, root, soot, scoot, shoot, toot
-ooth
tooth, booth
-ooze
ooze, booze, snooze
-oozy
doozy, woozy
-oodle
poodle, doodle, noodle, toodles
-ou
found, mouse, our, house, proud, bounce, around, about, pound, flour, ground, out, shout, mouth, count, pout, south, doubt, cloud, bound, sour, loud, announce, mountain, louse, doused, lounge
you, soup, wound, group, cougar, coupon, youth, route, routine, bouquet, souvenir, boutique, acoustic
couple, country, courage, encourage, young, limousine
-our
four, pour, tour, mourn, courtesy, court
British English – rumour, humour, tumour, honour, labour, colour, flavour, armour, savour, vapour, neighbour, behaviour
-ous
moustache, dangerous, jealous, gorgeous, numerous, generous, famous, humongous, fabulous, joyous
pompous, nervous, wondrous, enormous, righteous, courteous, poisonous
-ious
delicious, obvious, ambitious, precious, vicious, ferocious, gracious, spacious, glorious, cautious, notorious
-ough
though, dough, although, borough, doughnut, thorough
thought, bought, brought, ought, fought, sought, wrought
tough, rough, cough, enough
through, throughout
plough
lough
-ould
could, would, should
-ouch
touch, couch, slouch, pouch, vouch, grouch, ouch
-ouble
double, trouble
-oulder
shoulder, boulder, moulder
-ow
bow, now, elbow, wow, how, cow, vow, chow, owe, tow, know, show, snow, sow
-owl
owl, bowl, fowl, growl, howl, prowl, scowl
-own
brown, crown, down, drown, gown, grown, own, disown, town, uptown, thrown, known, clown, flown, mown, frown, renown, shown
-ows
browse, drowsy, frowsy, grows, flows, knows, glows
-d-ow
window, shadow, meadow
-l-ow
low, glow, below, flow, blow, slow
-r-ow
row, brow, crowd, throw, grow, crow
-all-ow
allow, swallow, shallow
-arr-ow
arrow, barrow, sparrow, narrow
-ell-ow
bellow, fellow, mellow, yellow
-ill-ow
pillow, willow
-oll-ow
follow, hollow
-orr-ow
sorrow, borrow
-ow-el
vowel, bowel, towel, trowel
-ow-er
flower, blower, power, tower, shower, powder, mower
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- Homophones: Learn same sound words in sentences with detailed word list
- EAR words: Use this word list with examples to master the trigraph
- TCH words: From catch to ketchup, learn the trigraph with word list and examples
- IGH words: From high to insight, learn the trigraph with word list and examples
- DGE words: Conquer the trigraph with word list and examples
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