A word family is a group of words that contain a similar pattern.
As you look through these word families lists, you’ll notice that each list uses the same rime, such as -ain, -ing, or -ock.
These word families lists are helpful in creating your own phonics and spelling lists in the classroom.
Please note that while these lists contain over 600 words, it is not a comprehensive list of all word families or even all the words in each family.
The 37 most common word families identified by Richard E. Wylie and Donald D. Durrell in 1970 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.
Word Families by Vowel Sound
A Word Families Lists
-ACE FAMILY
brace
face
grace
lace
pace
place
race
space
trace
-ACK FAMILY
back
black
crack
lack
pack
quack
rack
sack
snack
stack
tack
track
-ADE FAMILY
blade
fade
glade
grade
jade
made
shade
spade
trade
wade
-AIL FAMILY
bail
fail
hail
jail
mail
nail
pail
quail
rail
sail
snail
tail
trail
-AIN FAMILY
brain
chain
gain
grain
main
pain
rain
stain
train
-AKE FAMILY
awake
bake
brake
cake
flake
lake
make
quake
rake
sake
shake
snake
take
wake
-ALE FAMILY
ale
bale
kale
male
pale
sale
scale
stale
tale
whale
-ALL FAMILY
all
ball
call
fall
mall
small
stall
tall
wall
-AME FAMILY
came
fame
flame
frame
game
name
same
tame
-AN FAMILY
an
can
fan
man
pan
pecan
plan
ran
scan
tan
than
van
-ANE FAMILY
cane
crane
lane
mane
pane
plane
sane
vane
-ANK FAMILY
bank
blank
crank
plank
rank
sank
tank
thank
-AP FAMILY
cap
clap
flap
gap
lap
map
nap
rap
sap
scrap
snap
strap
tap
trap
wrap
zap
-ASH FAMILY
ash
cash
clash
crash
dash
flash
lash
mash
rash
sash
splash
trash
-AT FAMILY
at
bat
cat
chat
fat
flat
hat
mat
pat
rat
sat
that
-ATE FAMILY
ate
crate
date
debate
gate
grate
hate
late
mate
plate
rate
skate
state
-AW FAMILY
caw
claw
draw
jaw
law
paw
raw
saw
straw
-AY FAMILY
away
bay
clay
day
gray
hay
jay
lay
may
nay
okay
pay
play
pray
ray
replay
say
spray
stay
sway
today
tray
way
E Word Families Lists
-EACH FAMILY
beach
bleach
breach
each
leach
peach
preach
reach
teach
-EAK FAMILY
beak
bleak
creak
leak
peak
sneak
speak
squeak
streak
tweak
weak
-EAL FAMILY
deal
heal
meal
peal
real
seal
squeal
steal
-EAT FAMILY
beat
eat
heat
meat
neat
seat
treat
wheat
-ECK FAMILY
check
deck
neck
peck
speck
wreck
-ED FAMILY
bed
bled
fed
fled
led
red
shed
shred
wed
-EED FAMILY
bleed
breed
deed
feed
greed
need
reed
seed
speed
weed
-EEP FAMILY
beep
creep
deep
jeep
keep
peep
sheep
sleep
sweep
weep
-ELL FAMILY
bell
cell
fell
sell
shell
smell
spell
tell
well
yell
-EN FAMILY
den
hen
men
pen
ten
then
when
-EST FAMILY
best
chest
nest
pest
quest
rest
test
vest
west
-ET FAMILY
bet
get
jet
let
met
net
pet
set
wet
yet
I Word Families Lists
-ICE FAMILY
dice
ice
mice
nice
price
rice
slice
twice
-ICK FAMILY
brick
chick
kick
lick
pick
quick
sick
slick
stick
thick
tick
trick
wick
-IDE FAMILY
bride
glide
hide
pride
ride
side
slide
tide
wide
-IGHT FAMILY
bright
fight
flight
fright
knight
light
might
night
right
sight
slight
tight
tonight
-IKE FAMILY
bike
hike
like
pike
spike
strike
-ILL FAMILY
bill
chill
drill
fill
grill
hill
ill
mill
pill
quill
skill
spill
will
-IN FAMILY
bin
chin
fin
in
pin
skin
spin
thin
tin
twin
win
-INE FAMILY
dine
fine
line
mine
nine
pine
shine
spine
vine
wine
-ING FAMILY
bring
ding
king
ring
sing
sling
spring
sting
string
swing
thing
wing
-INK FAMILY
blink
drink
ink
link
pink
rink
shrink
sink
think
wink
-IP FAMILY
chip
dip
drip
hip
lip
rip
ship
sip
skip
slip
snip
tip
trip
whip
zip
-IT FAMILY
bit
fit
hit
it
kit
lit
pit
quit
sit
skit
slit
O Word Families Lists
-OAT FAMILY
boat
coat
float
goat
moat
oat
throat
-OCK FAMILY
block
clock
dock
flock
knock
lock
rock
sock
-OKE FAMILY
awoke
broke
choke
joke
poke
smoke
woke
-OLD FAMILY
bold
cold
fold
gold
hold
mold
sold
scold
told
-OLE FAMILY
hole
mole
pole
role
stole
whole
-ONE FAMILY
bone
clone
drone
cone
phone
lone
stone
tone
zone
-OP FAMILY
chop
crop
drop
flop
hop
mop
pop
shop
stop
top
-OPE FAMILY
cope
hope
mope
nope
rope
scope
slope
-ORE FAMILY
chore
core
more
ore
pore
score
shore
sore
store
tore
wore
-OSE FAMILY
chose
close
hose
nose
pose
rose
those
-OT FAMILY
cot
dot
forgot
got
hot
jot
knot
lot
not
plot
pot
rot
spot
trot
-OW FAMILY
blow
crow
flow
glow
grow
bow
know
low
mow
show
slow
row
snow
sow
tow
U Word Families Lists
-UB FAMILY
club
cub
grub
hub
rub
scrub
shrub
stub
sub
tub
-UCK FAMILY
buck
cluck
duck
luck
pluck
puck
struck
stuck
truck
tuck
yuck
-UD FAMILY
bud
dud
mud
spud
stud
thud
-UDGE FAMILY
budge
fudge
judge
nudge
sludge
smudge
-UG FAMILY
bug
dug
hug
jug
mug
plug
rug
snug
tug
-UM FAMILY
drum
gum
hum
plum
strum
sum
swum
-UMP FAMILY
bump
clump
dump
hump
jump
lump
plump
pump
stump
thump
-UN FAMILY
bun
fun
pun
run
sun
spun
stun
-UNG FAMILY
clung
hung
lung
rung
spring
stung
sung
swung
-UNK FAMILY
bunk
chunk
dunk
hunk
junk
plunk
sunk
trunk
-USH FAMILY
blush
brush
crush
flush
hush
gush
mush
plush
rush
-UST FAMILY
bust
crust
dust
gust
just
must
rust
trust
Resource Ranch
Rhonda is the author of Resource Ranch. Most of her classroom experience has been in early elementary. She has also taught Title I Reading, ESL, and gifted students. She is certified as a Texas teacher in grades 1-8 and as a K-12 librarian.
