3 Letter Blends Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RF.1.2.B

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

In English you will often find words that chunk letters together meaning that you will find that pattern repeated over many different words. In this case you will start to work with words that contain a consonant blend that consists of three letters. You will see how this string of letters appears in multiple words and how to use it to your advantage. These 3-letter blend words will help you start to have more success in the phonics world. These worksheets will help you find and use common three letter blends in words.

3 Letter Blends Worksheets:

Fill Them All In – Fill in blanks with the correct 3-letter blend to complete each word.

Listening for -ist, -int, and -ilt – Read each word. Do you hear the ist, int, or ilt sound at the end of the word? Sort and write the words into the correct boxes.

Pick a Good One – Some consonant blends have three letters. For example: scr, squ, str, spr, spl, and thr. Read each pair of words. Write the word that begins with a 3-letter consonant blend.

Word Endings – The name of each picture that ends in a 3-letter blend. Write each picture name. Put the spelling for each sound in a separate box.

What's My Name? – Match each picture to the correct three letter blend in its name.

Which of the Three? – Say the name of each picture and find the correct letter pairings.

Spr- and Scr- Words – Write a synonym for each word below. Choose from the Word Box.

Sentence Completers – Circle the correct blend to complete the word in the each sentence. Fill in the blank with the blend.

Name the Picture – Circle the word that names the picture. Write the word on the line.

Complete the Word – Look at each word. Which 3-letter blend is missing? Choose the correct blend and write it in the box.

Writing Sentences with Blends – Write several sentences or a short story that uses as many words as you can containing that three-letter blend.

Ask and Ast Blends – Do you hear the ask sound or the ast sound at the end of each word? Sort and write the words into the correct boxes.

What's the Blend? – The name of each picture begins with a 3-letter blend. Write each picture name. Put the spelling for each sound in a separate box.

Alpha Sorts – Place the words in alphabetical order and underline the blend that is present.

Crazy Column Madness – Sort the words. Write each word in the correct column.

What Are Three Letter Consonant Blends?

The English language and the words in it produce some certain sounds. These sounds are combinations of vowels and consonants. It becomes easier for the students to learn and memorize words by keeping in mind the consonant sounds. Most of such words have either a 2 letter consonant blend or a 3 letter consonant blend. These words can also have vowel blends. The 2 letter blend means that the sound has 2 letters in it. Whereas, the 3 letter blend means that the sound has 3 letters in it.


What Are Consonants


Before learning the concept of consonant blends or vowel blends, one must have a clear knowledge of both of these terms. There are thousands and millions of words in the English language. This is because of all the different patterns of the letters. These patterns also include unique combinations of consonants and vowels. The five letters a, e, i, o, u are known as the vowels in the English language. All the other letters that are not vowels are known as consonants.


Consonant Blends


The concept of the consonant blend is very easy and simple. It only refers to the combination of different consonants together. They do not have a vowel in between. There are some consonant blends that are repeatedly used in many words. These consonant blends are either made up of two or three letters. These letters combine to form a familiar sound. The sound has the pronunciations of all the three consonants combined. It is also possible for some consonant blends to contain a silent letter. These consonant blends are regularly used in different words in our daily speech and text. Here are some examples of common three-letter consonant blends.


nth, sch, scr, spl, spr, thr, squ, etc.


Commonly Occurring Examples of Three Letter Blends


We often start working on blends in double letter pairs. As we make the progress to working in groups of three students will have difficulty at first. This particular consonant formation is located in word forms that are more localized to the S and T begin letter words. When we are looking at suffixes that follow this pattern, we also see that they often carry the consonant t. There are several different approaches that you can use to help students be able to recognize and use these words, as well as learn to sound them out and pronunciate them. I like to start with recognition which can be done by using word lists or simply have them find the words in word find. The second step is using them in a sentence of your own creation. From there it is all about getting more experience with the blends. I often find that most teachers like to start with these groups: str, spl, and spr. Lets take some time to familiarize ourselves with words that fit this pattern. This will be a good starting point for most students.


Spl - Blend List


splash, splat, splatter, spleen, splendid, splendor, splice, splint, splinter, split, splotch, splurge, splutter


Spr - Blend List


sprain, sprang, sprawl, spray, spread, spree, spring, sprinkle, sprinkler, sprint, sprite, sprocket, sprout, spruce, sprung, spry


Str- Blend List


straggle, straight, straighten, strain, strand, strange, strange, stranger, strap, strap, strategy, straw, straw, strawberry, stray, streak, stream, street, street, strength, stress, stretch, strict, stride, strike, string, strip, stripe, strive, stroke, stroke, stroll, strong, struggle