Short u Words

Short u Words free printable resources for kids! These resources include word lists, posters, charts, games, and worksheets for Kindergarten to 3rd grade students. When incorporating these resources into your classroom, your young learners can improve their spelling, reading, and writing skills. You can also use these resources along with our READ Curriculum to reinforce and master your student’s understanding of phonics and reading strategies.

What is a Short u Word?

The short u sound is part of five short vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, and u. Short u says /u/, as in tug. Many words have a short “u” sound, including words with closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and blends with digraphs. All of our posters and charts include practical examples to help kids identify the short sound with ease.

Short u Words Poster

This short u-words poster shows the various spelling patterns used in our short u vowel list. This makes a great classroom chart or student reference guide.

Short u Word List

This short u-word list separates our short a vowel sound words into different spelling patterns. It is perfect for more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

Words with Short u Chart

Short u word chart with pictures. This chart also shows the different short u vowel sounds and how they are incorporated into a variety of types of words.

Examples of Short u Words

As educators, it’s essential to have short and relatable examples of short ”u” words that kids can remember easily. Consider words like “bug” with a closed syllable. A closed syllable contains a vowel sound that is immediately followed by a consonant ending the word. You can hear the short “u” sound in words like “hug.” Utilizing these examples in your teaching can aid students in recognizing and using the correct spelling of the closed short ‘u’ sounds in their everyday vocabulary and reading comprehension.

3 Spelling Patterns for Short u

Below is a list of words based on spelling patterns using the short u vowel sound. These short u vowel words include beginning, middle, and ending sounds with blends and digraphs.

Blends in Short u Words

Blends are when two or more letters put together you hear both sounds. Words like “bl” in “blush” and they make the “st” sound when you say similar words, like “dust”. Some examples of beginning blends are bl-, sc-, and -gr. More examples at the end are -nd, -st, and -mp.

Digraphs in Short u Words

Digraphs can be decoded where there are two letters together to produce only one sound, such as “ch” in “chug”. See a breakdown of the digraph examples below, along with a huge and practical list to print for your beginner readers or elementary-age students learning to decode short and easy words.

“ch” as in:
- chug
- church
“kn” as in:
- knuckle
“sh” at the end of a word, as in:
- shovel
- shut
“ou” at the end of a word, as in:
- double
- couble
- nervous
- thank

Short u Words with Closed Syllables

This is u short word list of closed syllables. This list is easy to use and contains words that contain the letter u where the sound is short.

Short u Words with Digraphs

This list contains words with digraphs and short u vowel sounds. These are everyday words for kids to understand easily and apply to their growing reading comprehension.

chug
church
knuckle
shovel
shut
double
touch
young
couple
nervous

Short u Words with Blends

Our list of short u words that contain blends was specifically chosen for elementary school kids to learn how to read, seeing easy and practical spelling patterns.

blush
club
slug
brush
grub
smudge
smug
dust
tusk
mustard

Short u Word Flashcard Set

These Short u Vowel Flashcards are perfect for students learning how to read. They show u spelling patterns and are sorted conveniently for teachers. Plus, we’ve included a bonus set of short u flashcards with pictures! These make a perfect set, so check out our learning game mat for matching game ideas!

Also, don’t forget to download a set of our CVC Flashcards for more exciting patterns in phonics reading when your students are ready for the next level!

Short u Word Flashcards Set 1

Printable short u flashcards feature a variety of short u words. There’s something for every learning environment, from open to closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and more.

Short u Word Flashcards Set 2

Printable short u flashcards feature a variety of short u words. There’s something for every learning environment, from open to closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and more.

Short u Word Flashcards Set 3

Printable short u flashcards feature a variety of short u words. There’s something for every learning environment, from open to closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and more.

Short u Word Flashcards Set 4

Printable short u flashcards feature a variety of short u words. There’s something for every learning environment, from open to closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and more.

Short u Words Picture Flashcards Set 1

Short u word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in gameplay, reading practice, and more!

Short u Words Picture Flashcards Set 2

Short u word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in gameplay, reading practice, and more!

Short u Words Picture Flashcard Set 3

Short u word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in gameplay, reading practice, and more!

Short u Words Picture Flashcard Set 4

Short u word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in gameplay, reading practice, and more!

Short u Words Games and Worksheets

Make the most of our fun short u activities in your classroom or homeschool setup by using each tool for practice or as helpful guides. When you include our fun, printable activities containing all short u words, you’ll set up a lively learning space that works for different ways of learning, making sure your students have a blast while they learn!