For parents of young learners
Word families for kids
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending sound, like cat, hat and mat. Once a child can read one word in a family, they can read them all by changing the first letter. That makes word families one of the fastest ways to build reading and rhyming.
By the Eloqova team · Updated 31 October 2026
Free printable kit for your child's class: speaking worksheets and a speech planner.Get it freeHow to use these lists: read the ending first ("at"), then add the first sound ("c-at, cat"). Change only the first sound each time.
The -at family
- cat
- bat
- hat
- mat
- rat
- sat
- fat
- pat
The -an family
- can
- fan
- man
- pan
- ran
- van
- tan
- ban
The -ap family
- cap
- map
- tap
- nap
- lap
- gap
- sap
- rap
The -ag family
- bag
- rag
- tag
- wag
- nag
- sag
- lag
- zag
The -en family
- hen
- pen
- ten
- men
- den
- Ben
- Ken
- yen
The -et family
- net
- pet
- wet
- jet
- set
- met
- bet
- vet
The -ig family
- pig
- big
- dig
- fig
- wig
- jig
- rig
- gig
The -in family
- pin
- bin
- tin
- win
- fin
- kin
- sin
- din
The -it family
- sit
- bit
- fit
- hit
- kit
- lit
- pit
- wit
The -op family
- top
- hop
- mop
- pop
- cop
- shop
- stop
- drop
The -ot family
- hot
- pot
- dot
- cot
- got
- lot
- not
- rot
The -ug family
- bug
- hug
- jug
- mug
- rug
- tug
- dug
- plug
The -un family
- sun
- bun
- fun
- run
- gun
- nun
- spun
- stun
The -ell family
- bell
- well
- tell
- sell
- fell
- shell
- smell
- spell
The -ing family
- king
- ring
- sing
- wing
- thing
- swing
- sting
- bring
Silly word family sentences to read aloud
- The fat cat sat on a mat.
- The man ran to the van with a pan.
- A big pig can dig.
- Ten men met a hen.
- The hot pot is on the cot.
- A bug in a mug gave the rug a hug.
- Run in the sun and have fun.
- The king can sing and swing.
How to practise at home
- Make a word family house: write the ending on the roof and add a new word in each window.
- Use magnetic letters: keep "at" and swap the first letter.
- Say a word and ask your child for three words in the same family.
- Read the silly sentences together and clap on every family word.
Questions parents ask
What are word families?
Groups of words that share the same ending letters and sound, like cat, hat and mat (the -at family). They are also called rimes or phonograms.
Why are word families important?
They help children read many new words quickly by spotting a pattern, and they build rhyming and spelling skills.
What age should kids learn word families?
Usually in UKG or Class 1, after they know their letter sounds and can blend simple CVC words.
More free guides
Want expert help? See our phonics classes for kids: live 1:1 online classes for UKG to Grade 8.