-at-at word familycat, hat, bat, mat, rat
-an-an word familycan, pan, fan, van, man
-ap-ap word familycap, map, tap, gap, lap, nap
-am-am word familyham, jam, yam, dam, ram, Sam
-ag-ag word familybag, tag, rag, sag, wag
-ad-ad word familypad, sad, mad, lad, dad
Questions
What is a word family in phonics?
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending, like -at in cat, hat and bat. Children learn the ending once, then read many words by changing only the first sound. It is one of the first steps from letter sounds to reading.
Which word family should I teach first?
Start with short a: -at, -an, -ap, -am, -ag, -ad. Short a words are easy to picture and the vowel sound is clear.