Onset & Rime Cards (Free PDF)
15 rime families across all 5 short vowels, each with 4–6 cut-out onset tiles. Slide an onset next to the rime tile and read the word you built.
Cut-out tiles for building words by sliding a first sound onto a word ending — a hands-on way to see that one ending makes many words.
What’s inside
- Five pages, one per short vowel, each with three rimes: Short A uses -at, -an, -ap.
- Onset tiles and worked examples: s → sat, c → can, c → cap, f → fan, l → lap.
- Short E (-et, -en, -ed), Short I (-it, -in, -ip), Short O and Short U follow.
Every word in this PDF (83)
Handy for checking the list fits your child before printing, or for making your own games.
sat, can, cap, cat, fan, lap, fat, man, map, hat, pan, nap, mat, ran, rap, pat, tan, tap, bet, hen, bed, get, men, fed, jet, pen, led, net, ten, red, pet, den, wed, vet, bit, bin, dip, fit, fin, hip, hit, pin, lip, kit, tin, rip, pit, win, sip, sit, cot, cop, cog, dot, hop, dog, hot, mop, fog, jot, pop, hog, lot, top, jog, pot, log, bun, bug, cub, fun, hug, hub, gun, jug, rub, nun, mug, tub, run, rug, sun, tug
How to use it
- Cut out the tiles along the lines; keep each vowel's set in an envelope.
- Lay down a rime tile and read it: "at."
- Slide an onset tile in front and read the new word. Swap the onset and read again.
- Ask which combinations are real words and which are silly ones — both are good blending practice.
Who it’s for
Ages 4–6, in Stage 3.
Where it fits: Stage 3 — Blending & Segmenting (CVC Words)
Goes well with
Teach phonics online — one short lesson a day
Sign in free and follow a plan that remembers where you are. Right here in your browser, on phone, tablet or computer — nothing to download.
- 92 step-by-step lessons, SATPIN first
- Big flashcards to show your child
- Games, checkpoints and progress for every sound
For little ones (2–6) there’s also our sound-play game on iPhone & iPad and Android.