Phonics word list
Eer words
In short
Eer spells /ear/ as in deer, cheer and engineer. It sounds the same as ear in hear. Our checked list has 41 words where eer says /ear/.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 41
- By syllables
- one syllable: 19 · two syllables: 10 · three or more syllables: 12
- Taught in
- Lesson 113 in the sequence
Eer words, most common first
Spelling units show how each word breaks into the letters that spell one sound; a_e is a vowel and silent e working together. Readable after is the first lesson where a student can sound out the whole word.
One syllable
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| peer | p·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| cheer | ch·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| peers | p·eer·s | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| sheer | sh·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| steer | s·t·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| cheers | ch·eer·s | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| steers | s·t·eer·s | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| steered | s·t·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| deer | d·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| jeer | j·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| veer | v·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| sneer | s·n·eer | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| veers | v·eer·s | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| jeered | j·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| peered | p·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| sneers | s·n·eer·s | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| veered | v·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| cheered | ch·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
| sneered | s·n·eer·ed | 1 | Lesson 113 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| career | c·ar·eer | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| careers | c·ar·eer·s | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| cheerful | ch·eer·f·u·l | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| steering | s·t·eer·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| cheery | ch·eer·y | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| veering | v·eer·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| cheering | ch·eer·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| peerless | p·eer·l·e·ss | 2 | Lesson 113 |
| reindeer | r·ei·n·d·eer | 2 | Lesson 114 |
| sneering | s·n·eer·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 113 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| engineer | e·n·g·i·n·eer | 3 | Lesson 117 |
| engineers | e·n·g·i·n·eer·s | 3 | Lesson 117 |
| engineering | e·n·g·i·n·eer·i·ng | 4 | Lesson 117 |
| volunteer | v·o·l·u·n·t·eer | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| volunteers | v·o·l·u·n·t·eer·s | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| volunteered | v·o·l·u·n·t·eer·ed | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| volunteering | v·o·l·u·n·t·eer·i·ng | 4 | Lesson 113 |
| cheerier | ch·eer·i·er | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| careering | c·ar·eer·i·ng | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| cheeriest | ch·eer·i·e·s·t | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| cheerfully | ch·eer·f·u·ll·y | 3 | Lesson 113 |
| cheerfulness | ch·eer·f·u·l·n·e·ss | 3 | Lesson 113 |
When do these words become readable?
The lessons where the most words on this page become decodable. Words marked not in the sequence have a spelling the sequence never teaches as a pattern.
| Readable after | Words |
|---|---|
| Lesson 113 | 37 |
| Lesson 114 | 1 |
| Lesson 117 | 3 |
How do you teach eer words?
Teach eer with ear /ear/. "Eer says /ear/." Read deer, cheer, steer, peer, career. The -eer ending in words like engineer and volunteer often names a person.
What mistake do students make with eer words?
Students spell deer as dear. Teach the homophone pair by meaning: a deer in the woods, a dear friend.
Where do eer words come in the sequence?
Eer is taught with ear /ear/, late in the sequence. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 113.
Exceptions worth knowing
Eer never says /er/ or /air/, so reading it is easy once the team is known. Homophones (deer and dear, peer and pier) are the main spelling trap.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 113 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The deer is near.
- Cheer for the team.
- Steer the boat.
Questions people ask
What are 5 eer words?
What sound does eer make?
What are common eer words?
When can a student read eer words?
How this list was built
Every word comes from our lexicon of common English words, each split into spelling units and checked against a pronouncing dictionary, so a word is listed under the sound its spelling really makes. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out. The readable after lesson comes from our decodability engine, which checks each spelling unit and syllable pattern against the lesson sequence. You can run your own text through the same engine with the free decodable text checker.