Free printable word families u phonics worksheets. Four practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, and rapid naming chart.
Grade: KPhase 1: FoundationsPattern: CVC word families: -ug, -un, -ut
bugdughugjugmugpugrugtugbunfungunnun
1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding word families u words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Jen and the Pug
Skill: Word Families U • Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, on, his, her
Coloring page included in PDF
Jen had a pet pug. He sat on a big red rug.
"Come run in the sun," said Jen. But the pug did not get up.
Jen got an old sock to tug. "Let us play," she said.
He did not tug. He just dug at the rug.
Then a bug got on the rug. The pug ran fast! He ran into the sun.
"That is fun," said Jen. She sat by him for a hug.
Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: -ug / -un Family vs -ut Family.
-ug / -un Family
-ut Family
bug
dug
hug
jug
mug
pug
rug
tug
bun
fun
gun
nun
pun
run
sun
but
cut
gut
hut
nut
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3 Phrasing Practice Cards
Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.
the bug on dug
a dug in hug
the hug and jug
a jug with mug
the mug on pug
a pug in rug
the rug and tug
a tug with bun
the bun on fun
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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 — Word Families U
pun
bug
bun
cut
pun
bug
pun
bug
mug
bun
bug
cut
cut
bun
mug
mug
Target words: bug, mug, bun, pun, cut
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5 Word Search
Find and circle the word families u words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce word families u word recognition.
Word Families U Word Search
E
N
B
R
D
B
F
V
N
C
T
U
G
R
A
U
E
H
M
A
B
Q
B
D
A
G
Y
Y
U
D
T
F
L
J
Q
A
J
U
G
G
R
U
G
U
N
N
U
N
M
L
E
N
N
X
Q
H
T
V
Y
I
P
U
G
R
U
G
U
G
H
T
I
J
Q
R
D
M
Q
B
I
P
X
M
B
X
R
U
U
M
U
W
A
W
A
Q
Y
S
G
G
T
N
BUGBUNDUGFUNGUNHUGJUGMUGNUNPUGRUGTUG
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📖 Decodable Readers for Word Families U
Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Word Families U reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.
Understanding CVC word families with the short 'u' sound, like those found in -ug, -un, and -ut, is a crucial step in early phonics. This skill typically follows mastery of short 'a', 'e', and 'i' sounds, as the short 'u' can often be a tricky vowel for emergent readers. Young learners frequently confuse the short 'u' sound (as in 'bug' or 'sun') with the short 'o' sound (as in 'bog' or 'son') or even sometimes a schwa sound. For instance, 'bun' might be mispronounced as 'bon', or 'cut' as 'cot'. The subtle difference in tongue placement and mouth shape for /u/ versus /o/ requires focused practice to prevent these common confusions and solidify accurate decoding.
Our worksheets provide targeted practice to build fluency with these short 'u' word families. Begin by using the decodable passage from "The Nut in the Rug" to help children identify and read words like 'rug', 'nut', and 'run' in context. Next, engage with the word sort activity, guiding students to categorize words such as 'mug', 'gun', and 'hut' into their respective -ug, -un, or -ut families, reinforcing visual and auditory patterns. Use the phrasing cards to practice reading short phrases that include these words, improving reading rhythm and comprehension. Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart offers a fun way to build speed and automaticity in recognizing and pronouncing these essential CVC words.
