er, ir or ur?
er, ir and ur sound the same. Say the picture's name. Circle the right spelling.
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This is sheet #47224601.
How to do it
- Say the picture's name.
- Read all three spellings. They sound the same!
- Circle the one that looks right.
Teaching tip
Ask "Have you seen this word in a book?" Seeing a word helps you remember how it's spelled. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.2.3b.
About this worksheet
Pictures with three spellings that all sound the same. Only one is right.
What kids practice
When the letter r comes right after a vowel, it changes the vowel's sound. Kids often call it "bossy r." ar says /ar/ as in car, or says /or/ as in fork, and er, ir and ur all say /er/ as in her, bird and turtle. R-controlled vowels are a key second grade phonics pattern.
Watch for
- Reading the vowel short, like ca-r for car.
- Spelling bird as berd or burd. All three sound right, so it takes practice to remember.
- Mixing up or and ar when reading fast, like farm and form.
It's free to print, with Fewer, Standard or More on the page and an answer key. See the full r-controlled vowels phonics guide for 2nd grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Bossy R Chartar, or, er, ir and ur with pictures and words, plus a spelling tip. 
2. Fill In the Bossy RPicture words with ar, or, er, ir or ur missing. A hint shows which ones to choose from.
4. Bossy R SortWords to sort into ar, or and er/ir/ur.
5. Bossy R SentencesSentences with a missing word. Pick between two bossy r words that look alike, like farm and form.
6. Color by Bossy RA hidden picture made of r-controlled words like car, fork, fern, bird and turn. Includes an answer key.