Phonics Word Lists for Teachers

General Word Lists

• 100 most common words in english
• compound words
• national literacy strategy reception key words
• national literacy strategy year 1/2 key words
• national literacy strategy year 4/5 key words

Initial letter sounds that have obvious pictures in alphabetical order

• picture noun 'a' (sample words: apple, add )
• picture noun 'b' (sample words: baby, book )
• picture noun 'c' (sample words: cat, cake )
• picture noun 'd' (sample words: dog, doll )
• picture noun 'e' (sample words: egg, envelope)
• picture noun 'f' (sample words: fish, frog)
• picture noun 'g' (sample words: goose, girl)
• picture noun 'h' (sample words: hill, house)
• picture noun 'i' (sample words: ink, igloo)
• picture noun 'j' (sample words: jelly, jam)
• picture noun 'k' (sample words: key, kite)
• picture noun 'l' (sample words: lemon, leg)
• picture noun 'm' (sample words: mouse, map)
• picture noun 'n' (sample words: nose, nut)
• picture noun 'o' (sample words: orange, octopus)
• picture noun 'p' (sample words: pin, picture)
• picture noun 'q' (sample words: queen, quill)
• picture noun 'r' (sample words: rabbit, rose)
• picture noun 's' (sample words: sock, snake)
• picture noun 't' (sample words: tree, tent)
• picture noun 'u' (sample words: umbrella, uncle)
• picture noun 'v' (sample words: vest, vase)
• picture noun 'w' (sample words: window, wand)
• picture noun 'x' (sample word: xylophone)
• picture noun 'y' (sample words: yellow, yacht)
• picture noun 'z' (sample words: zoo, zip)

Other useful sounds that have obvious pictures in alphabetical order

• picture noun 'ch' (sample words: chips, cheese )
• picture noun 'sh' (sample words: shoe, ship )
• picture noun 'th' (sample words: three, throat )

CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word lists

• vc medial 'a' (sample words: cat, man)
• vc medial 'e' (sample words: bed, hen)
• vc medial 'i' (sample words: bin, lip)
• vc medial 'o' (sample words: fox, job)
• vc medial 'u' (sample words: hug, mum)

Spelling/phonic patterns in alphabetical order

• 'a_e' (sample words: made, amaze)
• 'ai' (sample words: rain, paint)
• 'air' (sample words: fair, chair)
• 'al' (sample words: walk, stalk)
• 'ar' (sample words: farm, sparkle)
• 'are' end of words (sample words: scare, square)
• 'au' (sample words: launch, author)
• 'aw' (sample words: saw, drawer)
• 'ay' (sample words: day, crayon)
• 'bl' beginning of words (sample words: black, blank)
• 'br' beginning of words (sample words: brown, brick)
• 'c' with a 's' sound (sample words: circus, cell)
• 'ch' beginning of words (sample words: chair, child)
• 'ch' end of words (sample words: beach, watch)
• 'ch' inside words (sample words: kitchen, orchard)
• 'ch' with a 'c' sound (sample words: school, chemist)
• 'ch' with a 'sh' sound (sample words: chalet, brochure)
• 'ck' end of words (sample words: back, crack)
• 'ck' inside words (sample words: cracker, buckle)
• 'cl' beginning of words (sample words: clap, clean)
• 'cr' beginning of words (sample words: cross, crab)
• 'ct' end of words (sample words: act, object)
• 'dg' and 'dge' (sample words: edgy, fudge)
• 'dr' beginning of words (sample words: drip, drink)
• 'dw' beginning of words (sample words: dwarf, dwell)
• 'e_e' (sample words: these, theme)
• 'ea - 1' (sample words: eat, bead)
• 'ea - 2' (sample words: bread, deaf)
• 'ear - 1' (sample words: beard, dear)
• 'ear - 2' (sample words: earth, search)
• 'ear - 3' (sample words: pear, swear)
• 'ear' (sample words: beard, dear)
• 'ear' end of words (sample words: bear, swear)
• 'ee' (sample words: feet, toffee)
• 'eer' (sample words: beer, deer)
• 'ei' and 'eigh' (sample words: reign, sleigh)
• 'eo' (sample words: people, hideous)
• 'er - 1'(sample words: banner, ladder)
• 'er - 2'(sample words: verb, her)
• 'ere' (sample words: here, severe)
• 'ere' end of words (sample words: there, somewhere)
• 'ew'(sample words: new, nephew)
• 'ey' end of words - 1 (sample words: money, monkey)
• 'ey' end of words - 2 (sample words: they, grey)
• 'ff' end of words (sample words: off, staff)
• 'ff' inside words (sample words: coffee, office)
• 'fl' beginning of words (sample words: flap, flag)
• 'fr' beginning of words (sample words: frog, fright)
• 'ft' end of words (sample words: left, gift)
• 'g' with a 'j' sound (sample words: giant, gym)
• 'gl' beginning of words (sample words: glad, glove)
• 'gn' (sample words: gnome, design)
• 'gr' beginning of words (sample words: grip, green)
• 'i_e' (sample words: pine, inside)
• 'ie - 1'(sample words: tie, cried)
• 'ie - 2'(sample words: field, brief)
• 'igh' and 'ight' (sample words: sigh, night)
• 'ir'(sample words: girl, shirt)
• 'kn' beginning of words (sample words: knock, knee)
• 'ld' end of words (sample words: cold, fold)
• 'lf' end of words (sample words: shelf, elf )
• 'lk' end of words (sample words: talk, milk)
• 'll' end of words (sample words: drill, bell)
• 'll' inside words (sample words: balloon, valley)
• 'lm' end of words (sample word: elm, film)
• 'lp' end of words (sample words: help, alp)
• 'lt' end of words (sample words: belt, bolt)
• 'lth' end of words (sample words: health, wealth)
• 'mb' (sample words: lamb, plumber)
• 'medial y' (sample words: gym, crystal)
• 'mp' end of words (sample words: bump, ramp)
• 'nch' end of words (sample words: munch, pinch)
• 'nd' end of words (sample words: band, find)
• 'ng'(sample words: bang, hanger)
• 'nk' end of words (sample words: bank, pink)
• 'nt' end of words (sample words: went, sent)
• 'o_e' (sample words: bone, explode)
• 'oa'(sample words: boat, coast)
• 'oe'(sample words: toe, potatoes)
• 'oi'(sample words: coin, noise)
• 'oo' long (sample words: boot, room)
• 'oo' short (sample words: look, wood)
• 'or'(sample words: for, short)
• 'ou - 1'(sample words: out, count)
• 'ou - 2'(sample words: you, coupon)
• 'ou - 3'(sample words: could, should)
• 'ou - 4'(sample words: boulder, shoulder)
• 'oul' (sample words: ghoul, cagoule)
• 'our - 1' (sample words: armour, flavour)
• 'our - 2' (sample words: four, source)
• 'ow - 1'(sample words: cow, towel)
• 'ow - 2'(sample words: show, slow)
• 'oy'(sample words: toy, annoy)
• 'ph'(sample words: photo, dolphin)
• 'pl' beginning of words (sample words: plan, plane)
• 'pr' beginning of words (sample words: press, print)
• 'pt' end of words (sample words: attempt, except)
• 'qu' beginning of words (sample words: quack, queen)
• 'sc' beginning of words (sample words: school, scooter)
• 'scr' beginning of words (sample words: screw, scream)
• 'sh' beginning of words (sample words: shop, shake)
• 'sh' end of words (sample words: crash, wish)
• 'sh' inside words (sample words: cushion, mushroom)
• 'shr' beginning of words (sample words: shrink, shrug)
• 'sk' beginning of words (sample words: ski, skin)
• 'sk' end of words (sample words: ask, flask)
• 'sl' beginning of words (sample words: slow, sleep)
• 'sm' beginning of words (sample words: smoke, small)
• 'sn' beginning of words (sample words: snap, snake)
• 'sp' beginning of words (sample words: spin, spoon)
• 'sp' end of words (sample words: gasp, wasp)
• 'spl' beginning of words (sample words: splash, split )
• 'spr' beginning of words (sample words: spring, sprint )
• 'squ' beginning of words (sample words: squeak, squirt)
• 'ss' end of words (sample words: chess, press)
• 'ss' inside words (sample words: fossil, gossip)
• 'st' beginning of words (sample words: step, stool)
• 'st' end of words (sample words: past, list)
• 'stle' (sample words: castle, rustle)
• 'str' beginning of words (sample words: string, street)
• 'sw' beginning of words (sample words: sweet, switch)
• 'tch' end of words (sample words: itch, watch)
• 'th' beginning of words (sample words: thin, then)
• 'th' end of words (sample words: cloth, tooth)
• 'th' inside words (sample words: father, birthday)
• 'thr' beginning of words (sample words: three, through)
• 'tr' beginning of words (sample words: trap, train)
• 'ture' (sample words: picture, nature)
• 'tw' beginning of words (sample words: twinkle, twitch)
• 'u_e' (sample words: prune, use )
• 'ue'(sample words: blue, true)
• 'ui' (sample words: bruise, juice)
• 'ur'(sample words: hurt, burst)
• 'ure'(sample words: sure, cure)
• 've' end of words (sample words: have, love)
• 'wh - 1'(sample words: when, what)
• 'wh - 2'(sample words: who, whose)
• 'wr' (sample words: wrong, write)
• 'y' end of words - 1 (sample words: very, happy)
• 'y' end of words - 2 (sample words: my, by)
• 'zh' sound (sample words: casual, revision, enclosure)

Prefixes and suffixes

• 'able' - end of words (sample words: reliable, amiable)
• 'al' - end of words (sample words: medical, musical)
• 'ary' - end of words (sample words: dictionary, commentary)
• 'ate' end of words (sample words: pollinate, calculate)
• 'ation' end of words (sample words: musician, beautician)
• 'ation' end of words (sample words: pollination, hibernation)
• 'cial' - end of words (sample words: official, special)
• 'cious' - end of words (sample words: suspicious, delicious)
• 'ckle' end of words (sample words: buckle, cackle)
• 'cle' end of words (sample words: article, cycle)
• 'dle' end of words (sample words: ladle, cradle)
• 'etion' end of words (sample words: completion, deletion)
• 'ette' - end of words (sample words: brunette, baguette)
• 'ful' - end of words (sample words: wishful, armful)
• 'fully' - end of words (sample words: hopefully, tunefully)
• 'graph' - end of words (sample words: photograph, autograph)
• 'hood' end of words (sample words: childhood, likelihood)
• 'ia' end of words (sample words: amnesia, media)
• 'ial' - end of words (sample words: partial, crucial)
• 'ible' end of words (sample words: audible, compatible)
• 'ic' end of words (sample words: horrific, historic)
• 'ical' end of words (sample words: biblical, musical)
• 'ice' end of words (sample words: accomplice, practice)
• 'ious' - end of words (sample words: infectious, cautious)
• 'ism' end of words (sample words: tourism, vandalism)
• 'ist' - end of words (sample words: dramatist, impressionist)
• 'ition' - end of words (sample words: abolition, repitition)
• 'ity' - end of words (sample words: ability, hilarity)
• 'ive' - end of words (sample words: inventive, explosive)
• 'less' - end of words (sample words: careless, blameless)
• 'ling' end of words (sample words: hatchling, duckling)
• 'ly' end of words (sample words: weekly, happily)
• 'ment' end of words (sample words: excitement, amusement)
• 'ness' end of words (sample words: hopelessness, awareness)
• 'oid' end of words (sample words: cuboid, asteroid)
• 'ology' end of words (sample words: biology, astrology)
• 'otion' end of words (sample words: motion, lotion)
• 'ough' end of words (sample words: bough, although)
• 'phobia' end of words (sample words: hydrophobia, arachnophobia)
• 'ple' - end of words (sample words: simple, crumple)
• 'scope' end of words (sample words: kaleidoscope, telescope)
• 'sion' - end of words - 1 (sample words: mansion, tension)
• 'ssion' - end of words (sample words: admission, confession)
• 'tion' - end of words (sample words: action, animation)

Verbs (verb endings, irregular verbs etc.)

• adding 'ed' - double the final consonant (sample words: hopped, skipped)
• adding 'ed' - just add 'd' to verb (sample words: smiled, changed)
• adding 'ed' - just add 'ed' to verb (sample words: jumped, played)
• adding 'ed' - remove 'y' from verb first (sample words: accompanied, buried)
• adding 'ing' - double the final consonant before adding 'ing' (sample words: hopping, stopping)
• adding 'ing' - just add 'ing' to verb (sample words: jumping, playing)
• adding 'ing' - remove 'e' before adding 'ing' (sample words: smiling, changing)
• irregular past tense verbs (sample words: ate, swam)