Diphthongs Worksheet — ou/ow (Free PDF)

The "ow!" sound in cloud and cow, spelled ou in the middle of a word and ow at the end — plus a warning about ow's other sound.

What’s inside

• An instructions page.
• OU words — middle of the word: bounce, cl-oud, c-ount, n-oun, our, out…
• OW words — end of a word or before n or l: br-own, br-ow, cl-own, h-owl, j-owl, n-ow…

Every word in this PDF (42)

Handy for checking the list fits your child before printing, or for making your own games.

noun, cloud, count, couch, doubt, pound, flour, round, found, scout, foul, shout, snout, house, south, mount, mound, stout, mouse, trout, mouth, brown, howl, brow, jowl, clown, now, cow, crowd, plow, crown, prowl, down, scowl, drown, town, fowl, towel, gown, vow, growl, wow

How to use it

1. Say the sound: mouth starts wide, then closes to "oo".
2. Blend and write each word.
3. Remind your child that ow can also say long o (snow); try both sounds when stuck.
4. Ou also spells other sounds (you, soup) — treat those as separate patterns.

Who it’s for

Ages 5–7 in Stage 5.

Where it fits: Stage 5 — Vowel Teams & Tricky Words

Goes well with

• Diphthongs List (Free PDF): oi, oy, ou, ow Words
• The ow sound, with audio