R-Controlled Worksheet — ER (Free PDF)

ER words — fern, germ, her — the most common of the three spellings of the /ur/ sound.

What’s inside

• An instructions page.
• One practice page: f-ern, g-erm, h-er, p-erm, p-erch, person and more, with the reminder that er, ir and ur all say the same sound.

Every word in this PDF (13)

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

fern, perm, germ, perch, her, herd, serve, herb, stern, term, mercy, verb, nerve

How to use it

1. Say the sound, then point out it's the same sound as in "fur".
2. Blend and write each word.
3. Circle the er in each finished word.
4. Person has two syllables — read it in two parts: per-son.

Watch out for

• Er at the end of longer words (teacher, sister) is a quieter sound than in her — save those for later.
• Person and perch use er in the middle; say them slowly so the er isn't skipped.
• Er, ir and ur sound the same — the er page is the place to say so, before the sort.

Who it’s for

Ages 5–7 in Stage 5. On this site er is taught as another spelling of ur.

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

Goes well with

• R-Controlled Vowels (Free PDF): ar, er, ir, or, ur
• The ur sound (also spelled er)