Add an S!

About this worksheet

Six picture pairs, like nail and snail or top and stop, where adding an s makes a brand new word. Includes an answer key.

What kids practice

An s-blend is an s sound joined to another consonant at the start of a word, like sn in snake, st in star and sw in swing. Both sounds are said, with no stop in between. Many children can say s by itself but leave it out of blends (nake for snake, top for stop), or add a little vowel between the sounds (suh-nake). Practicing s-blends helps with clear speech, and it also helps with reading and spelling, because kids learn to hear both sounds at the start of the word. Common Core links this to reading and spelling blends (RF.2.3), but the speech practice itself has no Common Core code.

Watch for

• Dropping the s (nake for snake). Go back to a long sssss before the word.
• Adding a vowel (suh-nail). Keep the s and the next sound touching, like a train with no gap between the cars.
• Writing only one letter of the blend (sake for snake). Say the word slowly and listen for both sounds.
• Thinking sc and sk are different sounds. Scarf and skate both start with the same sk sound.
• If your child is hard to understand or not improving, ask a speech-language pathologist for a check.

It's free to print, with an answer key. See the full s-blends guide for 2nd grade.