1st Grade spelling
1st Grade Long U Silent E Words
First grade long u words spelled u_e: use, huge, rule, cute, tube, flute, mule. Play hangman with the list, read it, or print a worksheet.
Read the spelling list
The pattern: One-syllable words spelled u, consonant, e, where the silent e makes the u say its name.
In a u_e word, the silent e at the end makes the u say its name. In practice, long u has two sounds. One is /yoo/, as in use, huge, cute, cube, mute and mule. The other is /oo/, as in rule, rude, flute and truce. Both are written with u, a consonant and a silent e. This is the smallest of the silent e lists, because fewer words follow the pattern.
The words were chosen by spelling pattern and each was checked against a pronunciation dictionary for the long u sound. Frequency data placed them in a first grade band, though some words on this list are less common than on the other silent e pages. Long u is usually taught last among the silent e vowels, after a, i and o, because there are fewer words and the double sound adds complexity.
19 entries. Our solver needed 5.2 wrong guesses on average: 0 easy, 9 medium and 10 hard. The toughest is cube (10 misses), the quickest use (3).
- use Medium · 3
- huge Hard · 9
- rule Medium · 4
- cute Medium · 4
- tube Hard · 5
- tune Medium · 4
- rude Hard · 5
- cube Hard · 10
- mute Hard · 5
- fuse Hard · 9
- muse Hard · 8
- flute Hard · 5
- truce Medium · 3
- mule Hard · 6
- brute Medium · 3
- spruce Medium · 3
- dune Hard · 5
- chute Medium · 4
- plume Medium · 4
Words worth a closer look
- useAs a noun it ends with /s/; as a verb it ends with /z/. The spelling is the same for both.
- hugeThe e makes the u long and also makes the g soft, like j. Same double job as page.
- ruleLong u says /oo/ without the y sound. Compare with cube, which has /yoo/.
- fluteFl blend at the start, long u saying /oo/. A musical word that many children know.
- cubeLong u says /yoo/ here. Pair it with cub to show the effect of the e.
- muleLong u says /yoo/. A good picture word, and a rhyme partner for rule.
Teaching it
Pair short and long words: cub and cube, tub and tube, cut and cute, hug and huge. Say each pair and have children point to the one with the long sound. Then sort the u_e words by /yoo/ or /oo/, which adds a layer of listening to the spelling work.
The common error is dropping the e (cut for cute) or writing oo for the /oo/ sound (roole). Because words like use are used often, children may overgeneralize. In a hangman round, announce the u_e pattern and let the group guess consonants, then say the word aloud and decide which long u sound it has. The printable offers a short mixed test.
Print a 1st Grade Long U Silent E Hangman worksheet
Eight puzzles on one US Letter page, with a clue, letter blanks, an empty frame to draw in, an alphabet strip to cross off and circles to count misses. Page two is the answer key.
Need another sheet?
Draw eight different words from this list, right here. Same layout, new answer key.
Keep going
- 1st Grade Short A WordsFirst grade short a words with blends and digraphs: that, back, last, hand, class, match. Play hangman with the list, or print a worksheet.
- 1st Grade Short E WordsFirst grade short e words with blends and digraphs: when, best, next, check, dress, fresh. Play the hangman game, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade Short I WordsFirst grade short i words with blends and digraphs: with, this, think, list, ship, fish, stick. Play hangman, read the list, or print a worksheet.
- 1st Grade Short O WordsFirst grade short o words with blends and digraphs: stop, rock, drop, shop, block, clock, frog. Play hangman, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade Short U WordsFirst grade short u words with blends and digraphs: just, much, club, luck, jump, lunch, brush. Play hangman, read the list, or print a sheet.
- 1st Grade SH WordsFirst grade sh words: she, shop, ship, fish, dish, wash, sheep, shell. Play hangman with the list, read it with difficulty scores, or print a sheet.