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Diphthongs Worksheets

11 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

A diphthongs chart and word list, sorts for ou and ow, oi and oy, au and aw, an ow snow-or-cow sort, pick-the-spelling, matching, sentences and a story.

Download the diphthongs worksheets

Diphthongs chart and word list

Sort ou, ow, oi, oy, au and aw

The ou and ow picture sort comes as cut and paste and as a no-cut page.

Read and spell diphthong words

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these diphthongs worksheets

A diphthong is a vowel sound that slides from one sound to another inside one syllable, like the ow in cow and the oi in coin. The common 2nd grade diphthongs are spelled ou and ow (house, crown), oi and oy (coin, boy), and au and aw (sauce, saw). Each pair makes one sound with two spellings, so children have to learn which spelling a word uses.

These diphthongs worksheets start with a chart and a word list. Then children sort ou and ow pictures (cut and paste or no-cut), sort oi and oy and au and aw words, decide whether ow sounds like snow or cow, pick the right spelling for a picture, match words to pictures, and read diphthongs in sentences and a short story.

Diphthongs are part of the vowel teams children learn in 2nd grade. Every page prints in black and white on US Letter or A4 and has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.BKnow spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3.EIdentify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2.DGeneralize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.4.ARead grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.4.CUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

How to use them

  1. Start with the chart. Say each key word and stretch the vowel so children hear it slide: c-ow, c-oi-n.
  2. Teach one pair at a time: ou and ow, then oi and oy, then au and aw. Use the sort for each pair before mixing them.
  3. Use the ow sort to practice the two sounds of ow: long o in snow and /ow/ in cow.
  4. Finish with the sentences and the story, where children read the words in context.

Teaching tips

  • Position helps: ou, oi and au usually come in the middle of a word (house, coin, sauce); ow, oy and aw often come at the end (cow, boy, saw).
  • ow can say long o (snow) or /ow/ (cow). Try one sound, and if the word doesn't make sense, try the other.
  • ou has other sounds too, like in young and soup. Teach those words as tricky words.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is a diphthong?

A diphthong is a vowel sound that glides from one sound to another in the same syllable, like the oi in coin or the ou in out. Your mouth moves while you say it.

What are examples of diphthongs?

ou: out, house, cloud. ow: cow, owl, crown. oi: coin, boil, point. oy: boy, toy, enjoy. au: sauce, haul, launch. aw: saw, draw, yawn.

Are diphthongs and vowel teams the same?

Diphthongs are one kind of vowel team. A vowel team is any group of letters that spells one vowel sound; some teams spell a long vowel (ai in rain) and some spell a diphthong (oi in coin).

What grade learns diphthongs?

Many children meet ou, ow, oi and oy at the end of 1st grade and practice them, along with au and aw, in 2nd grade.

Do these worksheets have answer keys?

Yes, on page 2 of every page with right answers.