word family

Word Families

Word

families

are

groups

of

words

that

have

a

common

feature

or

pattern

-

they

have

some

of

the

same

combinations

of letters in them and a similar sound. For example, at, cat, hat, and fat are a family of words with the

The 37 most common word families in English (according to

Wylie and Durrell

) are: ack, ain, ake, ale, all,

ame, an, ank, ap, ash, at, ate, aw ay, eat, ell, est, ice, ick, ide, ight, ill, in, ine, ing, ink, ip, it,

ock, oke, op, ore, ot, uck ,ug, ump, unk.

Many of the nursery rhymes contain common word families. You can use these rhymes to teach these letter

combinations (and how they are spelled and spoken), having the students sound them out after memorizing the

rhyme. You can study one word family a week. Students can use the

Little Explorers Picture Dictionary

to

look for more words that belong to word families.

The following is a list of the most common word families in English (from Wylie and Durrell, 1970, plus a

few extra word families) and examples of each.

Word Families

ack

attack

back

black

crack

hack

Jack

knack

lack

pack

quack

rack

sack

snack

stack

tack

track

whack

ad

ad

bad

brad

cad

clad

dad

doodad

glad

had

lad

mad

pad

sad

age

age

cage

engage

rage

sage

stage

wage

ail

ain

ake

ale

all

am

ame

an

ank

ap

ar

ash

ash

bash

brash

cash

clash

crash

dash

flash

gash

gnash

hash

lash

mash

rash

sash

slash

smash

at

at

bat

brat

cat

chat

fat

flat

gnat

hat

mat

pat

rat

sat

slat

spat

tat

that

ail

brain

fail

chain

hail

complain

jail

explain

mail

gain

nail

grain

pail

main

rail

obtain

sail

pain

snail

plain

tail

rain

wail

slain

Spain

sprain

stain

strain

train

awake

ale

all

bake

bale

ball

brake

dale

call

cake

gale

fall

fake

kale

gall

flake

male

hall

Jake

pale

install

lake

sale

mall

make

scale

small

quake

stale

squall

rake

tale

stall

sake

whale

tall

shake

thrall

snake

wall

stake

take

wake

cam

blame

an

bank

clam

came

ban

blank

dam

fame

bran

crank

dram

flame

can

dank

exam

frame

clan

drank

gram

game

Dan

flank

ham

lame

fan

frank

jam

name

flan

Hank

lam

same

Fran

plank

ma'am

shame

Jan

prank

Pam

tame

Japan

rank

ram

man

sank

Sam

pan

shrank

scam

pecan

spank

slam

plan

tank

spam

ran

thank

swam

scan

yank

cap

afar

clap

bar

flap

car

gap

czar

lap

far

map

gar

nap

guitar

rap

jar

sap

mar

scrap

par

slap

scar

snap

spar

strap

star

tap

tar

trap

tsar

wrap

yap

Zack

vain

tam

tram

wham

yam

eep

beep

creep

deep

jeep

keep

peep

seep

sheep

sleep

steep

sweep

weep

eet

beet

feet

fleet

greet

meet

sheet

sleet

street

sweet

tweet

ell

bell

cell

dell

dwell

farewell

fell

hell

sell

shell

smell

spell

swell

tell

well

yell

en

amen

Ben

children

den

fen

gentlemen

glen

Gwen

hen

men

open

pen

then

ten

when

wren

yen

span

Stan

tan

than

van

ent

accent

bent

cent

dent

event

gent

lent

rent

scent

sent

spent

tent

vent

went

est

zap

splash

vat

stash

thrash

trash

ice

dice

ice

mice

nice

price

rice

slice

spice

splice

thrice

twice

vice

ick

brick

chick

click

flick

kick

lick

nick

pick

quick

Rick

sick

slick

stick

thick

tick

trick

wick

ide

bride

decide

glide

hide

pride

ride

side

slide

stride

tide

wide

ate

abate

ate

crate

date

debate

fate

gate

grate

hate

Kate

late

mate

plate

rate

relate

sate

skate

state

aw

caw

claw

draw

flaw

gnaw

jaw

law

paw

raw

saw

slaw

straw

thaw

ay

away

bay

bray

clay

day

decay

delay

display

flay

gay

gray

hay

jay

lay

may

nay

okay

pay

play

eat

beat

cheat

cleat

eat

feat

greet

heat

meat

neat

peat

pleat

seat

treat

wheat

eel

eel

feel

heel

keel

kneel

peel

reel

steel

wheel

best

chest

crest

jest

nest

pest

quest

rest

test

unrest

vest

west

zest