Word families are groups of words that go together. They have similar or common features or patterns. They can occur in the prefix, the suffix, or in the root word itself. They are sometimes referred to as groups or chunks. Word families all have the same combinations of letters somewhere in the word. They frequently appear in poems and rhymes (especially nursery rhymes). For example:
“Jack and Jill
Went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down,
And broke his crown.
And Jill came tumbling after.”
Word Families
Word families can be an important tool when teaching people to read or speak a language. New readers are able to recognize the word patterns, and teachers help them to understand the combinations and sounds.
The National Council of Teachers of English has identified 37 different word families. They are listed below with examples of words that are included in the family.
| Ack | Ain | Ake | Ale |
| Attack | Brain | Awake | Ale |
| Back | Chain | Bake | Bale |
| Knack | Complain | Cake | Dale |
| Lack | Explain | Lake | Female |
| Quack | Gain | Make | Gale |
| Rack | Pain | Quake | Male |
| Sack | Plain | Rake | Pale |
| Snack | Strain | Sake | Sale |
| Tack | Train | Snake | Tale |
| Whack | Vain | Take | Whale |
| All | Ame | An | Ank |
| Ball | Blame | Ban | Bank |
| Call | Came | Bran | Blank |
| Fall | Dame | Can | Crank |
| Hall | Fame | Fan | Drank |
| Mall | Game | Japan | Flank |
| Small | Lame | Pan | Rank |
| Squall | Name | Pecan | Shrank |
| Stall | Same | Scan | Spank |
| Tall | Shame | Tan | Tank |
| Wall | Tame | Van | Thank |
| Ap | Ash | At | Ate |
| Cap | Cash | At | Abate |
| Clap | Clash | Brat | Ate |
| Flap | Crash | Cat | Debate |
| Lap | Dash | Chat | Fat |
| Map | Hash | Fat | Grate |
| Scrap | Lash | Mat | Late |
| Slap | Mash | Rat | Mate |
| Tap | Rash | Slat | Plate |
| Trop | Splash | That | Skate |
| Wrap | Stash | Vat | State |
| Aw | Ay | Eat | Ell |
| Claw | Away | Beat | Bell |
| Draw | Clay | Bleat | Cell |
| Flaw | Day | Cheat | Dell |
| Jaw | Display | Cleat | Dwell |
| Law | Gay | Heat | Farewell |
| Paw | Pray | Meat | Fell |
| Raw | Ray | Neat | Hell |
| Saw | Stay | Seat | Sell |
| Straw | Today | Treat | Tell |
| Thaw | Tray | Wheat | Yell |
| Est | Ice | Ine | Ide |
| Best | Dice | Brine | Bride |
| Chest | Ice | Decline | Decide |
| Crest | Lice | Define | Guide |
| Jest | Mice | Dine | Hide |
| Nest | Price | Fine | Ride |
| Pest | Rice | Mine | Side |
| Rest | Spice | Pine | Slide |
| Test | Splice | Shrine | Stride |
| Unrest | Twice | Whine | Tide |
| West | Vice | Wine | Wide |
| Ick | In | Ight | Ill (ill) |
| Brick | Bin | Bright | Bill |
| Flick | Chin | Delight | Chill |
| Kick | Grin | Fight | Dill |
| Lick | In | Flight | Fill |
| Nick | Kin | Light | Kill |
| Pick | Shin | Might | Shrill |
| Sick | Skin | Night | Still |
| Stick | Twin | Sight | Swill |
| Thick | Win | Tight | Thrill |
| Trick | Within | Tonight | Will |
| Wick |
| Ing | Ink | Ip | It |
| Bring | Blink | Dip | Admit |
| King | Drink | Grip | Bit |
| Ping | Fink | Hip | Fit |
| Ring | Link | Lip | Flit |
| Sing | Mink | Ship | Grit |
| Spring | Pink | Sip | Knit |
| Sting | Rink | Snip | Lit |
| String | Sink | Strip | Pit |
| Thing | Stink | Trip | Quit |
| Wing | Wink | Whip | Split |
| Ock | Oke | Op | Ore |
| Block | Awoke | Cop | Chore |
| Clock | Bloke | Drop | Core |
| Dock | Choke | Flop | Fore |
| Frock | Joke | Hop | Gore |
| Lock | Poke | Mop | More |
| Mock | Smoke | Plop | Ore |
| Rock | Spoke | Pop | Sore |
| Shock | Stroke | Shop | Store |
| Sock | Woke | Strop | Tore |
| Stock | Yoke | Top | Wore |
| Ot | Uck | Ug | Ump | Unk |
| Clot | Buck | Bug | Bump | Bunk |
| Cot | Chuck | Dug | Clump | Clunk |
| Dot | Duck | Hug | Hump | Dunk |
| Forgot | Luck | Jug | Jump | Funk |
| Hot | Muck | Lug | Lump | Hunk |
| Lot | Pluck | Mug | Plump | Junk |
| Not | Struck | Rug | Rump | Punk |
| Plot | Stuck | Shrug | Stump | Skunk |
| Pot | Truck | Smug | Thump | Sunk |
| Spot | Tuck | Thug | Trump | Trunk |
Other Word Families
There are many other word families beyond the most common 37. Below are some others that occur on a regular basis.
| Ad | Ail | Am | Ar |
| Ad | Ail | Clam | Afar |
| Bad | Fail | Dam | Bar |
| Cad | Hail | Exam | Car |
| Clad | Jail | Gram | Far |
| Dad | Jam | Par | |
| Glad | Pail | Ram | Pillar |
| Had | Rail | Slam | Scar |
| Lad | Sail | Spam | Spar |
| Mad | Snail | Tram | Star |
| Sad | Tail | Wham | Tar |
| Eet | En | Ent | Eel |
| Feet | Amen | Bent | Cartwheel |
| Fleet | Children | Dent | Eel |
| Greet | Den | Event | Feel |
| Meet | Even | Gent | Genteel |
| Parakeet | Hen | Innocent | Heel |
| Sheet | Men | Lent | Keel |
| Street | Omen | Scent | Peel |
| Sweet | Pen | Sent | Reel |
| Tweet | Ten | Tent | Steel |
| When | Went | Wheel |
| Eep | Ile | Oat | Og |
| Asleep | Bile | Boat | Blog |
| Beep | File | Coat | Catalog |
| Creep | Juvenile | Float | Clog |
| Deep | Mile | Gloat | Defog |
| Jeep | Pile | Goat | Dog |
| Seep | Smile | Moat | Frog |
| Sheep | Tile | Oat | Hog |
| Sleep | Vile | Sloat | Hotdog |
| Steep | Volatile | Sugarcoat | Jog |
| Weep | While | Throat | Smog |
| Oil | Ool | Oom | Oon |
| Boil | Cool | Bathroom | Baboon |
| Broil | Drool | Bloom | Balloon |
| Charbroil | Fool | Boom | Goon |
| Coil | Pool | Classroom | Maroon |
| Foil | School | Doom | Moon |
| Oil | Spool | Groom | Noon |
| Recoil | Stool | Loom | Soon |
| Soil | Tool | Room | Spoon |
| Spoil | Uncool | Storeroom | Toon |
| Toil | Wool | Zoom | Tycoon |
| Topsoil |
| Oop | Ow | Ought |
| Coop | Blow | Afterthought |
| Droop | Bow | Bought |
| Goop | Crow | Brought |
| Hoop | Flow | Forethought |
| Loop | Grow | Fought |
| Scoop | Mow | Ought |
| Snoop | Row | Overthought |
| Stoop | Show | Overwrought |
| Swoop | Snow | Thought |
| Troop | Tow | Wrought |
Placement in Words
There are many other word families, and they can occur anywhere in a word. Some examples are:
| A meaning “on” |
Act meaning “do” |
Dis meaning “un” |
| Adrift, | Actor | Disagree |
| Aside | Action | Dishonest |
| Ashore | Activate | Disavow |
| Ject meaning “to throw” |
Gen meaning “to produce” |
Poly meaning “many” |
| Eject | General | Polygamy |
| Interject | Generate | Monopoly |
| Subject | Pathogen | Polyester |
Risk of Focusing on Word Families
There is one pitfall that new readers can encounter when learning word families. Because they focus so much attention on the second part of the word, they can skip over the first part. They then have to go back to the start of the word.
This results in jerky eye movement. Instead of a steady progression across the page from left to right, the reader jumps around. This could actually reinforce dyslexic tendencies.
Conclusion:
Word families help students to learn to read and pronounce English. Because they learn to recognize the “chunks” of words that are in each family, they can make connections to other words. This helps new readers correctly predict how other words will sound.
New readers are able to take single-syllable words and break them down. There will often be a consonant at the start of the word and a word family group at the end. By breaking down even short words, the new reader is able to improve their spelling, understand new words (by comparing them to old), and improve their reading fluency.
By using the 37 common word families, new readers will be able to learn an estimated 500 words. If other word families are included, the number of new words can grow dramatically.
List of Word Families | Image
List of Word Families
37 Most Common Word Families
37 Different Word Families
List of Word Families in English
Last Updated on May 20, 2021
I couldn’t understand. In TKT book (it’s a book for preparation to Teaching Knowledge test) a word family means “words that come through affixation from one base word (root), e.g. unreal-reality-realistic etc. Also on HiNative the British told me that this is the right answer, not your explanation on this page. Where is the truth?
In American schools, we use the phrase “word family” with beginning readers, especially in kindergarten and 1st grade: Word families, also called phonograms or “chunks,” provide us with groups of words that have a predictable pattern or “chunk.” These words have the same ending, and they all rhyme. This makes learning a set of words (a word family) easier on our beginning readers. It could be the term, used in the way you are describing, is used in other English speaking countries, like England.
It is really more than good. It suitable for biggner, intermediate and advanced levels of learners.
first time here, it looks great. I am looking at the word family pages. thank you for doing the hard work.
Thanks very much
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