Spelling Patterns
Learn how words that sound alike often share the same spelling pattern. Spot the pattern, spell the word!
What Are Word Families?
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending pattern. If you can spell one word in the family, you can spell them all! Just change the first letter.
cat
hat
bat
mat
sat
can
man
ran
van
fan
big
dig
pig
wig
jig
hop
top
mop
pop
stop
bug
hug
mug
rug
tug
The Magic 'e' Rule
When you add an 'e' to the end of a short word, it changes the vowel sound. The vowel says its name instead of its sound. That is why we call it the Magic 'e'!
cap
cape
short 'a' becomes long 'a'
hop
hope
short 'o' becomes long 'o'
kit
kite
short 'i' becomes long 'i'
cub
cube
short 'u' becomes long 'u'
Key Vocabulary
Word Family
A group of words that share the same ending pattern, like cat, hat, bat.
Spelling Pattern
A set of letters that appear in many words and make the same sound.
Magic 'e'
A silent 'e' at the end of a word that changes a short vowel sound to a long vowel sound.
Vowel
The letters a, e, i, o, u. They can make short sounds or long sounds.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Spot the word family
Which words belong to the -an family?
pan, pig, fan, run, man, van
Answer: pan, fan, man, van all end in -an.
Example 2: Use the Magic 'e'
What happens when we add an 'e' to pin?
Answer: pin + e = pine. The short 'i' sound changes to a long 'i' sound (like saying the letter name 'i').
Example 3: Fill in the pattern
b_g, d_g, h_g all belong to the -ug family. What letter goes in the gap?
Answer: The letter u. They are: bug, dug, hug.
Knowledge Check
Test what you have learned! Pick the correct answer and click "Check Answer".
Question 1
Which word belongs in the -at word family?
Question 2
What word do you get when you add Magic 'e' to hop?
Question 3
Which group of words are all in the same word family?
Question 4
What does the Magic 'e' do to a word?
Question 5
Which word is spelled correctly?
Key Concepts Summary
- ● A word family is a group of words that share the same ending (like -at, -an, -ig, -op, -ug).
- ● If you can spell one word in a family, you can spell them all by changing the first letter.
- ● The Magic 'e' at the end of a word makes the vowel say its long sound (its name).
- ● The Magic 'e' is silent — you do not say it out loud.
- ● Knowing spelling patterns helps you read and spell new words more easily.