Word Family Worksheets
Updated November 2026 · 16 free printables
Sixteen word family worksheets, one for each common short vowel family: -at, -an, -ap, -ag, -ed, -en, -et, -ig, -in, -ip, -og, -op, -ot, -ug, -un and -ut. On every page children read the family words, blend the sounds in sound boxes, write the word for each picture and trace the words or a short sentence.
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending, so once a child can read cat, they can read hat, bat and mat by changing only the first sound. The pages come in three layouts, from a word family house to a coloring task, so a week of practice never feels like the same sheet twice.
All 16 Word Family Worksheets, One by One
Here is a closer look at every page in this collection: what it practices, which grade it fits and a tip for each one.
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1. -at Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -at word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -at words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: cat, hat, bat, mat, rat and sat. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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2. -an Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -an word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids write the sounds of each picture in boxes, add a letter to -an to build words, trace the words and read a sentence and draw it. Words on the page: fan, van, pan, can, man and ran. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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3. -ap Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ap word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids color the pictures that end with -ap, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the first letter for each picture and trace a sentence. Words on the page: cap, map, nap, tap, lap and gap. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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4. -ag Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ag word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -ag words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: bag, tag, flag, rag, wag and nag. Kindergartners can point under each word with a finger as they read it out loud.
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5. -ed Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ed word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids write the sounds of each picture in boxes, add a letter to -ed to build words, trace the words and read a sentence and draw it. Words on the page: bed, sled, red, fed, led and wed. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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6. -en Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -en word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids color the pictures that end with -en, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the first letter for each picture and trace a sentence. Words on the page: hen, pen, ten, men, den and then. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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7. -et Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -et word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -et words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: net, jet, wet, pet, vet and get. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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8. -ig Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ig word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids write the sounds of each picture in boxes, add a letter to -ig to build words, trace the words and read a sentence and draw it. Words on the page: pig, wig, dig, big, fig and jig. Kindergartners can point under each word with a finger as they read it out loud.
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9. -in Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -in word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids color the pictures that end with -in, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the first letter for each picture and trace a sentence. Words on the page: pin, fin, bin, tin, win and chin. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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10. -ip Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ip word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -ip words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: ship, clip, zip, dip, hip and tip. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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11. -og Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -og word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids write the sounds of each picture in boxes, add a letter to -og to build words, trace the words and read a sentence and draw it. Words on the page: dog, log, frog, hog, jog and fog. Kindergartners can point under each word with a finger as they read it out loud.
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12. -op Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -op word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids color the pictures that end with -op, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the first letter for each picture and trace a sentence. Words on the page: mop, top, hop, pop, cop and shop. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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13. -ot Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ot word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -ot words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: pot, hot, dot, cot, lot and robot. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
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14. -ug Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ug word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids write the sounds of each picture in boxes, add a letter to -ug to build words, trace the words and read a sentence and draw it. Words on the page: bug, mug, rug, jug, hug and dug. Kindergartners can point under each word with a finger as they read it out loud.
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15. -un Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -un word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids color the pictures that end with -un, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the first letter for each picture and trace a sentence. Words on the page: bun, sun, run, fun, nun and spun. It suits kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6, with large print and short, decodable words.
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16. -ut Word Family Worksheet
A free printable -ut word family worksheet in color with an answer key: kids read the -ut words in a word family house, blend sound boxes and write the word, write the word for each picture and trace the words. Words on the page: nut, hut, cut, but, shut and rut. It matches first grade reading goals, roughly ages 6 to 7.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Read the family ending first (at), then add the first sound (c-at).
- Point out that only the first letter changes in cat, hat and bat.
- Do one family a day and review the whole set at the end of the week.
Did you know?
- The shared ending of a word family is called a rime, and the sound before it is the onset.
- Researchers Wylie and Durrell listed 37 common rimes that are found in nearly 500 primary-grade words.
- Words in the same family always rhyme, so word family practice is rhyming practice too.
Fun ways to use your printables
- Make a word family flip book: rime on the right, onsets on short pages on the left.
- Build a word family house on the fridge and add a new word every time your child reads one.
- Ask for silly sentences that use three words from one family.
How to print
Click Download PDF and print at 100% on US Letter or A4 paper. Page 1 is the worksheet and page 2 is the answer key, so choose “page 1” in the print dialog if you only want the practice page. Every worksheet is free for home, homeschool and classroom use, so print as many copies as you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is a word family?
Words that end with the same group of letters and sound, called a rime: cat, hat and sat are in the -at family. Word families are a quick way to read many new words.
Which word family should we learn first?
-at and -an are the usual starting points, followed by the other short a families. Then move on to -ig, -og, -ug and the short e families.
Are word families the same as rhyming words?
Words in the same family always rhyme, but not every rhyme is in one family: bear and chair rhyme even though they are spelled differently.
How many word families are there?
There are dozens, but a famous list by Wylie and Durrell names 37 common ones that make up nearly 500 words children meet in the early grades.