Phonics word list
SPR blend words
In short
Spr is a three-letter blend: s, p and r at the start of a word, all heard, as in spring, spray and sprint. Our checked list has 40 words that start with the spr blend.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 40
- By syllables
- one syllable: 24 · two syllables: 16 · three or more syllables: 0
- Taught in
- Lesson 35c in the sequence
Spr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| spread | s·p·r·ea·d | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| spring | s·p·r·i·ng | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| spreads | s·p·r·ea·d·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| spray | s·p·r·ay | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprang | s·p·r·a·ng | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| sprung | s·p·r·u·ng | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| springs | s·p·r·i·ng·s | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| spry | s·p·r·y | 1 | Lesson 73 |
| spree | s·p·r·ee | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| sprain | s·p·r·ai·n | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprawl | s·p·r·aw·l | 1 | Lesson 93 |
| sprays | s·p·r·ay·s | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprees | s·p·r·ee·s | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| sprint | s·p·r·i·n·t | 1 | Lesson 24 |
| sprout | s·p·r·ou·t | 1 | Lesson 96 |
| spruce | s·p·r·u_e·c | 1 | Lesson 60 |
| sprains | s·p·r·ai·n·s | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprawls | s·p·r·aw·l·s | 1 | Lesson 93 |
| sprayed | s·p·r·ay·ed | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprints | s·p·r·i·n·t·s | 1 | Lesson 24 |
| sprouts | s·p·r·ou·t·s | 1 | Lesson 96 |
| spruced | s·p·r·u·c·ed | 1 | Lesson 64 |
| sprained | s·p·r·ai·n·ed | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sprawled | s·p·r·aw·l·ed | 1 | Lesson 93 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| spreading | s·p·r·ea·d·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| springing | s·p·r·i·ng·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| spraying | s·p·r·ay·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 84 |
| sprinted | s·p·r·i·n·t·ed | 2 | Lesson 64 |
| sprinter | s·p·r·i·n·t·er | 2 | Lesson 80 |
| sprouted | s·p·r·ou·t·ed | 2 | Lesson 96 |
| sprucing | s·p·r·u·c·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 109 |
| spraining | s·p·r·ai·n·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 84 |
| sprawling | s·p·r·aw·l·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 93 |
| sprinters | s·p·r·i·n·t·er·s | 2 | Lesson 80 |
| sprinting | s·p·r·i·n·t·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| sprouting | s·p·r·ou·t·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 96 |
| springtime | s·p·r·i·ng·t·i_e·m | 2 | Lesson 67a |
| spreadsheet | s·p·r·ea·d·sh·ee·t | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| springboard | s·p·r·i·ng·b·oar·d | 2 | Lesson 78 |
| spreadsheets | s·p·r·ea·d·sh·ee·t·s | 2 | Lesson 94 |
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 spr words?
Build from pr and sp: rint, print, sprint. "You know print. Add /s/." Practice sprig, sprint, spring, sprang. The list is short, so a few lessons cover it.
What mistake do students make with spr words?
Students drop the p (sring for spring) or the r. Stretch the word and touch three fingers.
Where do spr words come in the sequence?
Spr comes with the other three-letter blends after the two-letter ones. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 35c.
Exceptions worth knowing
In words like offspring, spr starts the second part of a compound. Spr never takes a silent letter.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 35c or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The kids sprint to the pond.
- We sprint up the steps.
Questions people ask
What are 5 spr words?
What are some spr words?
How is spr different from str?
When can a student read spr 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.