R-Controlled Vowels Worksheets
Page one has ten words to read, circle the vowel and the r, and write, plus a word sort. Page two has eight sentences where students choose the letters that spell the missing word, like st__ with ar or or.
Choose “Mixed” to sort words by sound (ar, or, and er/ir/ur), or pick “ar and or” or “er, ir and ur” to sort by spelling. Press “New worksheet” for a new set. For long vowel spellings, try our vowel teams worksheets.
R-Controlled Vowels
When r comes after a vowel, it changes the vowel's sound. Read each word. Circle the vowel and the r. Write the word.
Read each word. Write it under the sound it makes.
Fill In the Bossy R
Read each sentence. Circle the letters that spell the missing word. Write the whole word on the line.
- A big stm brought rain and wind.aror
- My big sist helps me read.urerir
- My favorite color is pple.irerur
- A fn grows in the shady forest.urirer
- A gm is too small to see.erirur
- We go to the beach in the summ.erurir
- Her hair has a pretty cl.irurer
- The baby birds chp in the nest.urirer
Write a sentence that uses two r-controlled vowel words.
R-Controlled Vowels: Answer Key
When r comes after a vowel, it changes the vowel's sound. Read each word. Circle the vowel and the r. Write the word.
Read each word. Write it under the sound it makes.
Fill In the Bossy R: Answer Key
Read each sentence. Circle the letters that spell the missing word. Write the whole word on the line.
- A big storm brought rain and wind.arorstorm
- My big sister helps me read.urerirsister
- My favorite color is purple.irerurpurple
- A fern grows in the shady forest.urirerfern
- A germ is too small to see.erirurgerm
- We go to the beach in the summer.erurirsummer
- Her hair has a pretty curl.irurercurl
- The baby birds chirp in the nest.urirerchirp
Write a sentence that uses two r-controlled vowel words.
Teaching tips
- R-controlled vowels fall under Common Core RF.1.3 and RF.2.3, which ask students to know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Call it “bossy r”: the r bosses the vowel so it no longer says its short sound, as in cat and car.
- Heads up: er, ir and ur all make the same sound (her, bird, fur), so students have to remember which spelling a word uses. Sorting by spelling helps.
Related printables
Alphabet Handwriting Practice Sheets (A–Z)
Dolch Sight Words Flashcards (Pre-Primer)
Sight Word Word Search Printable
SH Digraph Worksheets
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