Phonics word list
SW blend words
In short
Sw is an s blend: s and w together at the start of a word, both heard, as in swim, swing and sweet. Our checked list has 101 words that start with the sw blend.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 101
- By syllables
- one syllable: 61 · two syllables: 39 · three or more syllables: 1
- Taught in
- Lesson 35c in the sequence
Sw 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| switch | s·w·i·tch | 1 | Lesson 69 |
| switched | s·w·i·tch·ed | 1 | Lesson 69 |
| swam | s·w·a·m | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swap | s·w·a·p | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swim | s·w·i·m | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swum | s·w·u·m | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swamp | s·w·a·m·p | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swaps | s·w·a·p·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swear | s·w·ear | 1 | Lesson 112 |
| sweat | s·w·ea·t | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| sweep | s·w·ee·p | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| sweet | s·w·ee·t | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| swept | s·w·e·p·t | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swims | s·w·i·m·s | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swing | s·w·i·ng | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| swore | s·w·ore | 1 | Lesson 78 |
| sworn | s·w·or·n | 1 | Lesson 78 |
| swamps | s·w·a·m·p·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swears | s·w·ear·s | 1 | Lesson 112 |
| sweats | s·w·ea·t·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| sweeps | s·w·ee·p·s | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| swapped | s·w·a·pp·ed | 1 | Lesson 107 |
| swab | s·w·a·b | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swan | s·w·a·n | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swat | s·w·a·t | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| sway | s·w·ay | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| swig | s·w·i·g | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swabs | s·w·a·b·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swans | s·w·a·n·s | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swarm | s·w·a·r·m | 1 | Lesson 93 |
| sways | s·w·ay·s | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| swell | s·w·e·ll | 1 | Lesson 42 |
| swift | s·w·i·f·t | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swill | s·w·i·ll | 1 | Lesson 42 |
| swine | s·w·i_e·n | 1 | Lesson 55 |
| swipe | s·w·i_e·p | 1 | Lesson 55 |
| swirl | s·w·ir·l | 1 | Lesson 81 |
| swish | s·w·i·sh | 1 | Lesson 45 |
| swoon | s·w·oo·n | 1 | Lesson 90 |
| swoop | s·w·oo·p | 1 | Lesson 90 |
| swung | s·w·u·ng | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| swarms | s·w·a·r·m·s | 1 | Lesson 93 |
| swathe | s·w·a_e·th | 1 | Lesson 54 |
| swayed | s·w·ay·ed | 1 | Lesson 84 |
| sweets | s·w·ee·t·s | 1 | Lesson 85 |
| swells | s·w·e·ll·s | 1 | Lesson 42 |
| swerve | s·w·er·v·e | 1 | Lesson 80 |
| swifts | s·w·i·f·t·s | 1 | Lesson 28 |
| swings | s·w·i·ng·s | 1 | Lesson 51 |
| swiped | s·w·i·p·ed | 1 | Lesson 64 |
| swipes | s·w·i_e·p·s | 1 | Lesson 55 |
| swirls | s·w·ir·l·s | 1 | Lesson 81 |
| swoops | s·w·oo·p·s | 1 | Lesson 90 |
| swarmed | s·w·a·r·m·ed | 1 | Lesson 93 |
| swathed | s·w·a·th·e·d | 1 | Lesson 94 |
| swelled | s·w·e·ll·ed | 1 | Lesson 64 |
| swerved | s·w·er·v·ed | 1 | Lesson 80 |
| swirled | s·w·ir·l·ed | 1 | Lesson 81 |
| swished | s·w·i·sh·ed | 1 | Lesson 64 |
| swooned | s·w·oo·n·ed | 1 | Lesson 90 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| switches | s·w·i·tch·es | 2 | Lesson 69 |
| switching | s·w·i·tch·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 69 |
| swallow | s·w·a·ll·ow | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| swallows | s·w·a·ll·ow·s | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| swamping | s·w·a·m·p·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| swapping | s·w·a·pp·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| swearing | s·w·ear·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 112 |
| sweating | s·w·ea·t·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| sweeping | s·w·ee·p·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| swimming | s·w·i·mm·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| swallowed | s·w·a·ll·ow·ed | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| swampy | s·w·a·m·p·y | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| sweaty | s·w·ea·t·y | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| swatted | s·w·a·tt·ed | 2 | Lesson 107 |
| swaying | s·w·ay·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 84 |
| sweater | s·w·ea·t·er | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| sweeper | s·w·ee·p·er | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| sweeter | s·w·ee·t·er | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| sweetly | s·w·ee·t·l·y | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| swifter | s·w·i·f·t·er | 2 | Lesson 80 |
| swiftly | s·w·i·f·t·l·y | 2 | Lesson 74 |
| swiping | s·w·i·p·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 109 |
| swisher | s·w·i·sh·er | 2 | Lesson 80 |
| swishes | s·w·i·sh·es | 2 | Lesson 63 |
| swarming | s·w·a·r·m·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 93 |
| sweaters | s·w·ea·t·er·s | 2 | Lesson 94 |
| sweepers | s·w·ee·p·er·s | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| sweetest | s·w·ee·t·e·s·t | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| swelling | s·w·e·ll·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| swiftest | s·w·i·f·t·e·s·t | 2 | Lesson 67b |
| swilling | s·w·i·ll·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| swinging | s·w·i·ng·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 65 |
| swirling | s·w·ir·l·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 81 |
| switcher | s·w·i·tch·er | 2 | Lesson 80 |
| swooning | s·w·oo·n·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 90 |
| swooping | s·w·oo·p·i·ng | 2 | Lesson 90 |
| sweetness | s·w·ee·t·n·e·ss | 2 | Lesson 85 |
| switchboard | s·w·i·tch·b·oar·d | 2 | Lesson 78 |
| switchboards | s·w·i·tch·b·oar·d·s | 2 | Lesson 78 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| swallowing | s·w·a·ll·ow·i·ng | 3 | 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 sw words?
Round the lips for /w/ right after the hiss. "Ssswim." Build wig to swig, wept to swept, win to swin. Sw is a short list, so a few minutes of practice covers it.
What mistake do students make with sw words?
Students write su or sl for sw. Have them watch your lips round; /w/ is the only one of those that rounds the lips.
Where do sw words come in the sequence?
Sw is taught with the other s blends after short vowels. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 35c.
Exceptions worth knowing
In sword and answer, the w is silent. Swap and swan have a vowel that sounds like short o after w.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 35c or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- Swim to the raft.
- The swift bug is fast.
- The kid swept the step.
Questions people ask
What are 5 sw words?
What are some sw words?
Why is the w silent in sword?
When can a student read sw 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.