Comparing: -er and -est Worksheets

Free printable comparing: -er and -est phonics worksheets. Four practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, and rapid naming chart.

Grade: 2nd-3rd Phase 5: Multisyllable & Word Study Pattern: Comparative -er and superlative -est endings
bigger faster longer softer taller smaller quicker slower colder warmer biggest fastest

1 Decodable Reading Passage

A short, decodable story embedding comparing: -er and -est words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.

Mike's Tallest Kite
Skill: Comparing: -er and -est  •  Sight Words: the, a, and, to, was, is, it, she, he, they, said, have, with, you, are, of, for, her, there, one, into, what, when, out, about
Mike's Tallest Kite coloring page illustration
Coloring page included in PDF
Mike wanted to fly his new blue kite. It was much bigger than his old one. Indeed, it was the biggest kite he had ever made. He called his friend Luke to help him. "Let us go to the top of the hill," Mike said. "The hill is the tallest spot in the land, and the wind is strong there." They grabbed the kite and began to walk. As they walked, the dirt path became smaller. Soon, they were on the smallest path Mike had ever found. The trees around them got taller as they went deep into the woods. Mike pointed to a huge oak. "That is the tallest tree in the forest," he said. The thick leaves blocked the sun, making the air feel colder. "It is much warmer down by my house," Luke said, wrapping his jacket tight. They wanted to reach the top before the sun went down. Luke began to run up the path. He was faster than Mike. "I am the fastest!" Luke yelled with a laugh. But Luke grew tired on the hard trail. He became slower as the path went uphill. Mike was quicker to jump over a big wet log. "I may be slower to run, but I am quicker to jump!" Mike joked. At last, they reached the top of the hill. They looked down at the deepest part of the green valley below. They sat down on a patch of moss. The moss here was softer than the grass in Mike's yard. Indeed, it felt like the softest bed. Above them, the sky was turning gray. "That is the darkest cloud I have spotted all day," Luke said. "We must fly the kite now." Mike took out his kite line. He had a long yellow line, but he also had a longer red one. "Use the longer one," Luke said. "No, use the longest line you have so the kite can go high!" Mike tied on the longest line. He ran across the softest moss, and the wind took the kite up. It sailed higher than the tallest trees. They watched the blue kite dance. Mike felt like the richest kid in the land, even without any gold. Luke was the kindest friend for helping him climb so high. As the sun set, the air got even colder, but they did not fret. They had spent the longest, best day together.
Circle or highlight all the words with an -er or -est ending in the story above. How many did you find?
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Mike's Tallest Kite decodable reader mini-book
Free decodable reader Read “Mike's Tallest Kite” as an illustrated mini-book → The full printable story + coloring page, using only comparing: -er and -est sounds your child has learned.

2 Word Sort

Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: Adds -er vs Adds -est.

Adds -er
Adds -est
bigger
faster
longer
softer
taller
smaller
quicker
slower
colder
warmer
biggest
fastest
longest
softest
tallest
smallest
richest
deepest
kindest
darkest
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3 Phrasing Practice Cards

Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.

a bigger
the faster
a longer
the softer
a taller
the smaller
a quicker
the slower
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4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)

Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!

Decodable RAN Chart — Comparing: -er and -est
softer
faster
longer
bigger
bigger
taller
bigger
faster
taller
bigger
softer
taller
faster
softer
longer
longer
Target words: bigger, faster, longer, softer, taller
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5 Word Search

Find and circle the comparing: -er and -est words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce comparing: -er and -est word recognition.

Comparing: -er and -est Word Search
S
Z
T
A
L
L
E
R
T
D
F
L
O
N
G
E
R
H
O
X
F
R
S
O
F
T
E
R
K
M
A
B
S
M
A
L
L
E
R
E
S
I
F
A
S
T
E
S
T
Y
T
G
C
Q
U
I
C
K
E
R
E
G
H
I
B
I
G
G
E
R
R
E
A
W
A
R
M
E
R
Z
N
S
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S
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O
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P
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T
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C
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L
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R
R
BIGGER BIGGEST COLDER FASTER FASTEST LONGER QUICKER SLOWER SMALLER SOFTER TALLER WARMER
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📖 Decodable Readers for Comparing: -er and -est

Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Comparing: -er and -est reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.

← Adding -ing and -ed Worksheets View All Phonics Skills Endings -ly and -y Worksheets →

Free Printable Comparing: -er and -est Worksheets

These free comparing: -er and -est worksheets give advancing readers structured practice with comparative -er and superlative -est endings. Activities include a full-length decodable passage that embeds the target words in a story, a word sort, phrasing cards for fluency, and a rapid naming (RAN) chart for automaticity. Each worksheet prints cleanly on standard US Letter paper.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.