Two words rhyme when they end with the same sound. It does not matter how the words are spelt, it is the SOUND at the end that must match. To find out if two words rhyme, say them out loud and listen carefully to the last part of each word.
Try this with "cat" and "hat". Say "cat"... now say "hat". Both words end with the same sound, "at", so they rhyme. Now try "cat" and "dog". Say them out loud. "Cat" ends with "at" and "dog" ends with a different sound, so they do not rhyme.
Sometimes two words rhyme even when they do not share the same letters. "Night" and "kite" look different on the page, but say them out loud, they both end with the same sound, so they rhyme.
Do "sun" and "fun" rhyme?
Step 1: Say "sun" slowly and listen to the ending: s-u-n.
Step 2: Say "fun" slowly and listen to the ending: f-u-n.
Step 3: Both words end with the sound "un", so "sun" and "fun" rhyme.
Each word in the first list rhymes with one word in the second list. Write the matching letter in the box next to each word.
Read each group of words. Three of the words rhyme with each other. Write the word that does not rhyme on the line.
A syllable is one beat in a word. Every syllable has a vowel sound inside it, so counting syllables means counting the vowel sounds you hear. Short words like "cat" or "sun" have just one syllable, one beat, one vowel sound. Longer words have more than one beat.
The easiest way to count syllables is to clap. Say the word slowly and clap once for each beat you hear. The number of claps tells you the number of syllables. Try clapping slowly at first, then check your count by saying the word again.
How many syllables are in "rainbow"?
Step 1: Say the word slowly, breaking it into its beats: rain...bow.
Step 2: Clap once for each beat: clap for "rain", clap for "bow".
Step 3: Count the claps. There are 2 claps, so "rainbow" has 2 syllables.
Say each word slowly and clap the beats. Write the number of syllables in the table.
| Word | Number of syllables |
|---|---|
| cat | |
| rabbit | |
| butterfly | |
| sun | |
| monkey | |
| elephant |
The beginning sound of a word is the very first sound you hear when you say it, not the first letter you see. Most of the time these match, but it is the sound that matters when you are listening for beginning sounds. Two words have the same beginning sound when they start the same way when spoken aloud.
To find the beginning sound, say the word slowly and stretch out the very start of it before the rest of the word follows, almost like you are saying it in slow motion.
What is the beginning sound of "sun"?
Step 1: Say the word slowly: sssun.
Step 2: Listen to the very first sound you hear: "s".
Step 3: "Sun" begins with the "s" sound, the same sound at the start of "sock" and "seven".
Say each word in the box below. Listen for the beginning sound and write each word in the correct column of the table.
Word bank: sun, sock, man, mouse, top, tap.
| s | m | t |
|---|---|---|
Write one word that rhymes with each word below. Say the word softly to yourself and listen for the ending sound before you write.
For the parent or supervisor: set this page aside before handing over the worksheet.
Same Year 1 English outcomes, printed on A4 with a parent answer sheet, rebuilt around whatever your child is into this week - dinosaurs, Minecraft, horses, you name it.
Make your own printableThis is a fixed example. Sprout writes a fresh, personalised worksheet pack around your child every time - the example is the ad, the product is the personalisation.