R-Controlled Worksheet — UR (Free PDF)

UR words — burn, nurse, purse — the core spelling of the /ur/ sound on this site, with the keyword burn.

What’s inside

• An instructions page.
• One practice page: bl-ur, b-urn, b-urst, l-urk, n-urse, p-urse and more.

Every word in this PDF (22)

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

blur, lurk, burn, nurse, burst, purse, church, purple, churn, slur, curd, spur, curl, surf, curb, surge, curve, fur, turn, further, turtle, hurt

How to use it

1. Say ur: relaxed tongue, then the r.
2. Blend and write each word.
3. Nurse and purse end in a silent e — show that the e doesn't change the ur sound.
4. Follow up with the er and ir pages to show the same sound, spelled three ways.

Watch out for

• Ur, er and ir sound the same, so spelling ur words needs visual memory, not sounding out.
• Nurse and purse end in a silent e that doesn't change the ur sound — point it out so it isn't read as a magic e.
• Children with an accent that drops the r may hear "nuhs" — that's fine; the spelling is still ur.

Who it’s for

Ages 5–7 in Stage 5.

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, US and UK audio