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Trigraph: Spell better with 19 word lists of 3-letter graphemes

Study Zone Institute September 8, 2023 Free Resources

Make study time fun with these trigraph word lists. Having all these words in one place that include a trigraph in them, makes learning to spell new words very engaging. It is important to learn how to spell words that have a grapheme as this is critical to being able to read fluently.

Our lists include everyday words for children to use when writing poems, short stories and taking notes in their journal. Children can create their own posters, flashcards, charts and projects that display these words to improve their spelling skills during study time.

CLICK HERE to Improve Spelling and Reading Skills with 10 BOOKS OF SHORT STORIES with rimes.

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What is a trigraph and what it is not

A trigraph is a grapheme made by 3 letters that represent one sound. The term trigraph is used by many people for 3 letters with 3 sounds but these are really called blends. You must sound out a word very slowly in order to hear each sound.

The blends ‘spr’ and ‘scr’ are not trigraphs because they have three separate sounds as in /s/-/p/-/r/ in spread and /s/-/c/-/r/ in scream. The rimes ‘ain’ and ‘oat’ are also not trigraphs as they have two separate sounds as in /ai/-/n/ in rain and /oa/-/t/ in coat.

Trigraph word lists with 19 graphemes

Here are 19 trigraphs with word lists. These are air, are, ear, eau, eer, eir, eig, eou, dge, igh, iou, oar, oor, oul, our, ore, ure, tch and gue.

air

pair, hair, fair, chair, flair, stair, upstairs, downstairs, repair, fairy, air, lair

laird, dairy, unfair, airport, airline, despair, affair, impair, wheelchair

are

care, rare, dare, share, bare, mare, hare, ware, fare, glare, scare, flare, stare, snare, aware, prepare, welfare, careful, compare, unaware, spare, square, beware, declare, warfare, daycare, fanfare, farewell

scarecrow bareback, barefoot, carefree, careless, daredevil

dishware, glassware, cookware, tableware, software, hardware

ear

appear, bear, beard, dear, clear, fear, tear, gear, ear, hear, near, nearly, pear, rear, spear, swear, tear, wear, year

early, earn, earth, learn, pearl, search

heart

eau

beauty, beautify, beautiful, beautician, beau, bureau, bureaucrat, plateau, flambeau

eer

beer, deer, peer, steer, sheer, jeer, cheer, eerie, career, pioneer, engineer, domineer, reindeer, rocketeer, puppeteer, volunteer, racketeer, buccaneer

eir

their, weird, weirdo

eig

reign, foreign, feign, sovereign

eou

gorgeous, advantageous, outrageous, righteous, nauseous, courageous, dangerous

dge

edge, grudge, hedge, ledge, fudge, nudge, budge, judge, grudge, badge, wedge, ridge, lodge, dodge, smudge, sledge, fridge, pledge, bridge, porridge

igh

high, sigh, nigh, light, highlight, right, slight, night, might, fight, flight, fright, plight, sight, thigh, tight, alright, knight, bright, tonight, insight, highway, delight, upright, uptight

iou

gracious, ambitious, cautious, precious, anxious, luscious, spacious, vicious, suspicious, obnoxious, atrocious, religious, conscious, ambitious, ferocious, delicious, audacious, malicious, factious

oar

oar, boar, roar, outroar, board, hoard, soar, aboard, onboard, whiteboard, keyboard, motherboard, cupboard, cardboard, overboard, billboard, boarder

oor

door, floor, poor, moor, indoor, outdoor, doorway, doormat, moorings, flooring, doorbell, doorknob, doorstop

oul

could, would, should

our

four, fourth, fourteen, pour, tour, your, yourself, odour, court, course, recourse, source, mourn, gourmet, nourish, courier, flourish, resource, yourself

journey, journal, courteous, courtesy, scourge, adjourn, bourbon

tourist, tourism

glamour

British English: rumour, humour, tumour, honour, labour, colour, flavour, armour, savour, saviour, parlour, favour, harbour, vapour, armour, endevour, splendour

ore

bore, core, fore, gore, lore, more, pore, sore, tore, wore, swore, score, shore, spore, snore, swore, store, adore, chore, afore, encore, before, ashore, galore, ignore, implore, eyesore, deplore, onshore, offshore, seashore, explore, restore, anymore, boredom, folklore, moreover, evermore, sycamore

forehead, forearm, forehand, foreword, foretell, foretold, foresee, forecast, foremost, foreman, foregone, forerun

ure

cure, endure, mature, immature, secure, tenure, manure, nature, future, impure, purely, allure, fracture, vulture, denture, conjure, texture, torture, fixture, stature, nurture, pasture, procure, rapture, gesture, lecture, capture, culture, feature, picture, failure, venture, mixture, posture, gesture, venture, adventure, manicure, pedicure, armature, puncture, insecure, moisture, creature

sure, unsure, insure, ensure, assure, surely, unsure, surety, fissure, injure, figure, seizure, closure, measure, leisure, treasure, pressure, pleasure, brochure, exposure, composure

tch

itch, etch, catch, fetch, switch, notch, botch, hutch, itchy, butch, butcher, hitch, ditch, latch, hatch, witch, batch, patch, pitch, watch, match, glitch, stitch, snitch, scotch, switch, sketch, clutch, snatch, twitch, ketchup, scratch, kitchen, stretch, hatchet, pitcher, ditch, hutch, dispatch

gue

colleague, fatigue, league, vague, vogue, dialogue, catalogue, monologue, analogue, pirogue, plague, morgue, sinologue, prologue

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Conclusion

These word lists for 19 trigraphs are very useful for spelling exercises. Students can use them to create posters, flashcards, charts, poems, short stories and notes in a journal. Make study time fun with these words and master spelling and reading quickly.

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When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn commission and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Trigraph: Spell better with 19 word lists of 3-letter graphemes

What is a trigraph and what it is not

Trigraph word lists with 19 graphemes

air

are

ear

eau

eer

eir

eig

eou

dge

igh

iou

oar

oor

oul

our

ore

ure

tch

gue

Conclusion

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