Which One Did I Say?
Grown-up: read the words at the bottom, one at a time. Child: circle the picture you hear.
Fresh sheet anytime. Tap New sheet or reload for a different one. Tap + for up to 10.
This is sheet #34924601.
How to do it
- Listen to the word your grown-up says.
- Look at the two pictures.
- Circle the one you heard.
Teaching tip
Cover your mouth with a paper while reading, so your child listens instead of watching your lips. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.1.2c.
About this worksheet
A listening game. A grown-up reads the list at the bottom and the child circles the picture they hear.
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, with an answer key. 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. 
2. Picture PairsFive pairs of picture words that differ by one sound, like cape and tape, with the two sounds shown in the middle.
4. Sound SwapSix picture pairs where the rest of the word is given. Write the first letter that makes each word.