Phonics word list
SHR blend words
In short
Shr is a three-letter blend: the digraph sh followed by r, as in shrub, shred and shrimp. Our checked list has 30 words that start with the shr blend.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 30
- By syllables
- one syllable: 21 · two syllables: 9 · three or more syllables: 0
- Taught in
- Lesson 35c in the sequence
Shr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| shred | sh·r·e·d | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrub | sh·r·u·b | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrug | sh·r·u·g | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrank | sh·r·a·n·k | 1 | Lesson 52 |
| shreds | sh·r·e·d·s | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrewd | sh·r·ew·d | 1 | Lesson 91 |
| shriek | sh·r·ie·k | 1 | Not in the sequence |
| shrill | sh·r·i·ll | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrimp | sh·r·i·m·p | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrine | sh·r·i_e·n | 1 | Lesson 55 |
| shrink | sh·r·i·n·k | 1 | Lesson 52 |
| shroud | sh·r·ou·d | 1 | Lesson 96 |
| shrubs | sh·r·u·b·s | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrugs | sh·r·u·g·s | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| shrunk | sh·r·u·n·k | 1 | Lesson 52 |
| shrieks | sh·r·ie·k·s | 1 | Not in the sequence |
| shrines | sh·r·i_e·n·s | 1 | Lesson 55 |
| shrinks | sh·r·i·n·k·s | 1 | Lesson 52 |
| shrouds | sh·r·ou·d·s | 1 | Lesson 96 |
| shrieked | sh·r·ie·k·ed | 1 | Not in the sequence |
| shrugged | sh·r·u·gg·ed | 1 | Lesson 107 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| shredded | sh·r·e·dd·ed | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| shrouded | sh·r·ou·d·ed | 2 | Lesson 96 |
| shredding | sh·r·e·dd·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| shrewdest | sh·r·ew·d·e·s·t | 2 | Lesson 91 |
| shrieking | sh·r·ie·k·i·ng | 2 | Not in the sequence |
| shrinking | sh·r·i·n·k·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| shrouding | sh·r·ou·d·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 96 |
| shrugging | sh·r·u·gg·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| shrewdness | sh·r·ew·d·n·e·ss | 2 | Lesson 91 |
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.
How do you teach shr words?
Teach shr after sh is solid. "Sh says /sh/. Add /r/. Shr." Practice shred, shrub, shrug, shrink. Shr is a short list, so it fits in one lesson.
What mistake do students make with shr words?
Students write sr or chr. Show the sh card and say, "Shhh, then /r/."
Where do shr words come in the sequence?
Shr comes after the sh digraph, often late in the blend lessons. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 35c.
Exceptions worth knowing
Shr is never split by a silent letter, and no common English word starts with sr, so /shr/ is always spelled shr. Shrewd and shriek have vowel teams taught later.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 35c or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The shrub is in the shed.
- Shred the ham.
- The kid can shrug.
Questions people ask
What are 5 shr words?
Is shr a blend?
What are some shr words?
When can a student read shr 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.