Phonics word list

Ow words like cow

In short

Ow says /ow/ as in cow, town and flower. The same spelling says long o in snow, so ow has two sounds. Our checked list has 155 words where ow says /ow/ as in cow.

At a glance

Words in our list: 155
By syllables: one syllable: 60 · two syllables: 74 · three or more syllables: 21
Taught in: Lesson 96 in the sequence

One spelling, more than one sound

Most lists mix these up. We count each sound separately, so a student practicing one sound only sees words that make it.

How many words in our list spell each sound with ow
Sound	Example	Words	List
/ow/	how	155	This page
/ō/	low	173	See the list

Ow words that say /ow/, 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

60 words, most common first.

One syllable
Word	Spelling units	Syllables	Readable after
how	h·ow	1	Lesson 96
now	n·ow	1	Lesson 96
down	d·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
town	t·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
brown	b·r·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
bow	b·ow	1	Lesson 96
cow	c·ow	1	Lesson 96
wow	w·ow	1	Lesson 96
cows	c·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
gown	g·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
crowd	c·r·ow·d	1	Lesson 96
crown	c·r·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
drown	d·r·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
frown	f·r·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
towns	t·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
browse	b·r·ow·s·e	1	Lesson 96
crowds	c·r·ow·d·s	1	Lesson 96
drowns	d·r·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
frowns	f·r·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
browsed	b·r·ow·s·ed	1	Lesson 96
drowned	d·r·ow·n·ed	1	Lesson 96
frowned	f·r·ow·n·ed	1	Lesson 96
owl	ow·l	1	Lesson 96
sow	s·ow	1	Lesson 96
vow	v·ow	1	Lesson 96
bows	b·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
brow	b·r·ow	1	Lesson 96
chow	ch·ow	1	Lesson 96
fowl	f·ow·l	1	Lesson 96
howl	h·ow·l	1	Lesson 96
mows	m·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
owls	ow·l·s	1	Lesson 96
prow	p·r·ow	1	Lesson 96
vows	v·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
wows	w·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
bowed	b·ow·ed	1	Lesson 96
brows	b·r·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
chows	ch·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
clown	c·l·ow·n	1	Lesson 96
cowed	c·ow·ed	1	Lesson 96
downs	d·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
gowns	g·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
growl	g·r·ow·l	1	Lesson 96
howls	h·ow·l·s	1	Lesson 96
prowl	p·r·ow·l	1	Lesson 96
prows	p·r·ow·s	1	Lesson 96
scowl	s·c·ow·l	1	Lesson 96
sowed	s·ow·ed	1	Lesson 96
vowed	v·ow·ed	1	Lesson 96
wowed	w·ow·ed	1	Lesson 96
browns	b·r·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
clowns	c·l·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
crowns	c·r·ow·n·s	1	Lesson 96
downed	d·ow·n·ed	1	Lesson 96
growls	g·r·ow·l·s	1	Lesson 96
howled	h·ow·l·ed	1	Lesson 96
browned	b·r·ow·n·ed	1	Lesson 96
crowned	c·r·ow·n·ed	1	Lesson 96
growled	g·r·ow·l·ed	1	Lesson 96
scowled	s·c·ow·l·ed	1	Lesson 96

Two syllables

The 60 most common of 74 words. 14 more are in our list.

Two syllables
Word	Spelling units	Syllables	Readable after
allow	a·ll·ow	2	Lesson 96
power	p·ow·er	2	Lesson 96
allows	a·ll·ow·s	2	Lesson 96
powers	p·ow·er·s	2	Lesson 96
allowed	a·ll·ow·ed	2	Lesson 96
somehow	s·o·m·e·h·ow	2	Lesson 96
tower	t·ow·er	2	Lesson 96
vowel	v·ow·e·l	2	Lesson 96
flower	f·l·ow·er	2	Lesson 96
powder	p·ow·d·er	2	Lesson 96
shower	sh·ow·er	2	Lesson 96
towers	t·ow·er·s	2	Lesson 96
crowded	c·r·ow·d·ed	2	Lesson 96
flowers	f·l·ow·er·s	2	Lesson 96
powered	p·ow·er·ed	2	Lesson 96
showers	sh·ow·er·s	2	Lesson 96
browsing	b·r·ow·s·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
crowding	c·r·ow·d·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
downhill	d·ow·n·h·i·ll	2	Lesson 96
drowning	d·r·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
frowning	f·r·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
shutdown	sh·u·t·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
breakdown	b·r·ea·k·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 114
downright	d·ow·n·r·igh·t	2	Lesson 96
downstairs	d·ow·n·s·t·air·s	2	Lesson 112
cower	c·ow·er	2	Lesson 96
downy	d·ow·n·y	2	Lesson 96
bowing	b·ow·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
cowboy	c·ow·b·oy	2	Lesson 96
cowing	c·ow·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
uptown	u·p·t·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
vowels	v·ow·e·l·s	2	Lesson 96
vowing	v·ow·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
wowing	w·ow·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
browner	b·r·ow·n·er	2	Lesson 96
cowboys	c·ow·b·oy·s	2	Lesson 96
cowgirl	c·ow·g·ir·l	2	Lesson 96
downing	d·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
howling	h·ow·l·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
letdown	l·e·t·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
lowdown	l·ow·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
powders	p·ow·d·er·s	2	Lesson 96
prowler	p·r·ow·l·er	2	Lesson 96
rundown	r·u·n·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
sundown	s·u·n·d·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
towered	t·ow·er·ed	2	Lesson 96
browbeat	b·r·ow·b·ea·t	2	Lesson 96
brownest	b·r·ow·n·e·s·t	2	Lesson 96
browning	b·r·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
clowning	c·l·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
cowgirls	c·ow·g·ir·l·s	2	Lesson 96
crowning	c·r·ow·n·i·ng	2	Lesson 96
downcast	d·ow·n·c·a·s·t	2	Lesson 96
downfall	d·ow·n·f·a·ll	2	Lesson 96
downpour	d·ow·n·p·our	2	Lesson 96
downtown	d·ow·n·t·ow·n	2	Lesson 96
flowered	f·l·ow·er·ed	2	Lesson 96
highbrow	h·igh·b·r·ow	2	Lesson 96
powdered	p·ow·d·er·ed	2	Lesson 96
prowling	p·r·ow·l·i·ng	2	Lesson 96

Three or more syllables

21 words, most common first.

Three or more syllables
Word	Spelling units	Syllables	Readable after
however	h·ow·e·v·er	3	Lesson 96
allowing	a·ll·ow·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
nowadays	n·ow·a·d·ay·s	3	Lesson 96
powerful	p·ow·er·f·u·l	3	Lesson 96
anyhow	a·n·y·h·ow	3	Lesson 96
manpower	m·a·n·p·ow·er	3	Lesson 96
powering	p·ow·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
allowance	a·ll·ow·a·n·c·e	3	Lesson 96
allowable	a·ll·ow·a·b·le	4	Lesson 96
allowances	a·ll·ow·a·n·c·e·s	4	Lesson 96
flowery	f·l·ow·er·y	3	Lesson 96
powdery	p·ow·d·er·y	3	Lesson 96
cowering	c·ow·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
disallow	d·i·s·a·ll·ow	3	Lesson 96
towering	t·ow·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
flowering	f·l·ow·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
powdering	p·ow·d·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
powerless	p·ow·er·l·e·ss	3	Lesson 96
showering	sh·ow·er·i·ng	3	Lesson 96
disallowed	d·i·s·a·ll·ow·ed	3	Lesson 96
disallowing	d·i·s·a·ll·ow·i·ng	4	Lesson 96

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.

Lessons where the most words on this page become readable
Readable after	Words
Lesson 96	150
Lesson 112	1
Lesson 114	2
Not in the sequence	2

How do you teach ow words that say /ow/?

Teach this after ou /ow/. "Ow can say /ow/ as in cow. It is often at the end or before n, l or er." Read cow, now, how, town, down, owl, flower. Then flex with snow words. The split above shows the two groups are close in size.

What mistake do students make with ow words that say /ow/?

Students read cow as /kō/. Prompt the flex. In spelling, ou and ow get swapped; teach the position clue.

Where do ow words that say /ow/ come in the sequence?

Ow /ow/ is taught with ou /ow/, after oi and oy. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 96.

Exceptions worth knowing

Bow, row and sow can be read either way, each with a meaning. Knowledge has ow saying /ŏ/.

Decodable sentences

Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 96 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.

How now, brown cow?
The owl is in the town.
Sit down.

Questions people ask

What are 5 ow words that say /ow/?

How, now, down, town, brown. Those are the five most common of the 155 words where ow says /ow/ as in cow in our checked list.

How do you know if ow says ow or long o?

You often can't from the spelling. Try one sound, check for a word, then try the other.

What are common ow words like cow?

Cow, how, now, down, town, brown, owl and flower.

When can a student read ow words that say /ow/?

Ow words that say /ow/ are taught at Lesson 96 in the lesson sequence we use. 150 of the 155 words on this page can be sounded out by then; the rest wait for a pattern taught later, and the tables show the lesson for each word.

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.