Selected Dolch Phonetic Families

 

In the Short A (CVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

cap cap nap rap wrap
lap snap trap tap
clap map strap gap
flap chap scrap zap
slap pap sap yap

Homophones:  rap/wrap

To see word families put into the context of real sentences click here.

In the Short E (CVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

red red Red's led
Fred Fred's bled
Ned Ned's fled
Ted Ted's shed
Jed Jed's shred
sped bred

Homophones:  bred/bread

In theShort O (CVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

top top cop shop shopping
stop stop pop chop chopping
sop lop flop popping
mop slop clop stopping
hop plop hopping

To see how word families may be used in Sequential Spelling click here

In the Short U (CVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

but but rut butt butter
cut nut strut putt putter
cut jut mutt mutter
shut gut mutton shutter
glut button gutter

Homophones:  but/butt

In the Long A (CVV) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

away way day bay ray
away today pay pray
sway lay repay spray
flay play may tray
slay replay dismay stray
clay display delay gray

Homophones:  way/weigh, pray/prey, gray/grey

In the Long  E (CVVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

keep jeep deep weep creep
sleep asleep steep sweep seep
sheep oversleep peep beep cheep

Homophones:  cheep/cheap

In the Long I (CVVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

fly by my try tries
my ply why fry fries
by pry sly cry cries
try sky shy fly flies

Homophones:  by/buy/bye

In the Long O (CVVC) Section

Dolch Words

Related Family Words to teach with the Dolch Words

coat oat oats boat boats
coat coats float floats
goat goats gloat gloats
bloat bloats throat throats
moat moats

By Don McCabe, author of To Teach a Dyslexic
This categorization can be found at: http://www.avko.org/dolch.htm