Phonics word list
Ue words
In short
Ue is a vowel team with two sounds: /ū/ as in blue and true, and /yū/ as in value and argue. It usually comes at the end of a word. Our checked list has 55 words with ue.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 55
- By syllables
- one syllable: 20 · two syllables: 28 · three or more syllables: 7
- Taught in
- Lesson 91 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.
| Sound | Example | Words | List |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ū/ | due | 39 | This page |
| /yū/ | argue | 16 | This page |
Ue 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 | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| due | d·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| blue | b·l·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| clue | c·l·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| true | t·r·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cue | c·ue | 1 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| sue | s·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fuel | f·ue·l | 1 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| glue | g·l·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| sues | s·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| blues | b·l·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| clues | c·l·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruel | c·r·ue·l | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| hue | h·ue | 1 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| rue | r·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cues | c·ue·s | 1 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| dues | d·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| flue | f·l·ue | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| hues | h·ue·s | 1 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| rues | r·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| glues | g·l·ue·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| argue | ar·g·ue | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| issue | i·ss·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Not in the sequence |
| value | v·a·l·ue | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| argues | ar·g·ue·s | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| issues | i·ss·ue·s | 2 | /ū/ | Not in the sequence |
| values | v·a·l·ue·s | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| virtue | v·ir·t·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Not in the sequence |
| venue | v·e·n·ue | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| pursue | p·ur·s·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rescue | r·e·s·c·ue | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| untrue | u·n·t·r·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| venues | v·e·n·ue·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruelty | c·r·ue·l·t·y | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| pursues | p·ur·s·ue·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| virtues | v·ir·t·ue·s | 2 | /ū/ | Not in the sequence |
| undue | u·n·d·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rueful | r·ue·f·u·l | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| subdue | s·u·b·d·ue | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rescues | r·e·s·c·ue·s | 2 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| bluebell | b·l·ue·b·e·ll | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bluebird | b·l·ue·b·ir·d | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| clueless | c·l·ue·l·e·ss | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bluebells | b·l·ue·b·e·ll·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bluebirds | b·l·ue·b·ir·d·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bluegrass | b·l·ue·g·r·a·ss | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| blueprint | b·l·ue·p·r·i·n·t | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruelties | c·r·ue·l·t·ie·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 110 |
| blueprints | b·l·ue·p·r·i·n·t·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| continue | c·o·n·t·i·n·ue | 3 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| continues | c·o·n·t·i·n·ue·s | 3 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| overdue | o·v·er·d·ue | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| revenue | r·e·v·e·n·ue | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| discontinue | d·i·s·c·o·n·t·i·n·ue | 4 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
| revenues | r·e·v·e·n·ue·s | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| valueless | v·a·l·ue·l·e·ss | 3 | /yū/ | Lesson 115 |
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 91 | 34 |
| Lesson 110 | 1 |
| Lesson 115 | 16 |
| Not in the sequence | 4 |
How do you teach ue words?
Teach ue with ew; they do the same job. "Ue says /ū/ or /yū/ at the end of a word." Read blue, true, clue, glue, then value, argue, rescue. The list is short enough that a family card works.
What mistake do students make with ue words?
Students read blue as /blū-ē/ or spell it blew. Teach the homophone pair. Some students also say /yū/ after l (blyū); point out that after r and l, ue says /ū/.
Where do ue words come in the sequence?
Ue is usually taught with ew and ui. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 91.
Exceptions worth knowing
In words like tongue and league, ue is silent after g. In guess and guest, u helps keep g hard.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 91 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The glue is blue.
- Is it true?
- We need a clue.
Questions people ask
What are 5 ue words?
What sounds does ue make?
What are common ue words?
When can a student read ue 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.