Picture Pairs
Say both words. Listen for the one sound that is different. Color a star each time.
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This is sheet #34824601.
How to do it
- Say the word on the left.
- Say the word on the right. Which sound changed?
- Color a star each time you say a word clearly.
Teaching tip
Ask your child to say both words slowly. Then ask "Which sound is different?" This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.1.2c.
About this worksheet
Five pairs of picture words that differ by one sound, like cape and tape, with the two sounds shown in the middle.
What kids practice
Minimal pairs are two words that are the same except for one sound, like key and tea or wing and win. When a child swaps sounds, they can change the meaning of what they say without noticing. Practicing pairs helps kids hear the difference first, and then say it. These pairs focus on the swaps first graders make most: t for k, d for g, p for f, b or f for v, n for ng, and l for y.
Watch for
- Getting the listening right but not the saying. That's a normal step. Keep practicing both.
- Exaggerating the sound so much that the word sounds strange. Aim for clear, not loud.
- If sound swaps make your child hard to understand, ask a speech-language pathologist to take a look.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full minimal pairs guide for 1st grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Minimal Pairs ChartWhat a minimal pair is, six common sound swaps with pictures (k and t, g and d, f and p, v and f, ng and n, y and l) and how to practice. 
3. Which One Did I Say?A listening game. A grown-up reads the list at the bottom and the child circles the picture they hear.
4. Sound SwapSix picture pairs where the rest of the word is given. Write the first letter that makes each word.