Phonics word list
Ui words
In short
Ui is a vowel team that says /ū/ in suit and fruit and /ĭ/ in build and guilt. It is a small group of words. Our checked list has 59 words with ui.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 59
- By syllables
- one syllable: 13 · two syllables: 34 · three or more syllables: 12
- 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/ | suit | 48 | This page |
| /ĭ/ | build | 11 | This page |
Ui 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| suit | s·ui·t | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| build | b·ui·l·d | 1 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| built | b·ui·l·t | 1 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| suits | s·ui·t·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| builds | b·ui·l·d·s | 1 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| fruit | f·r·ui·t | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| juice | j·ui·c·e | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruise | c·r·ui·s·e | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fruits | f·r·ui·t·s | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruised | c·r·ui·s·ed | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bruise | b·r·ui·s·e | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| sluice | s·l·ui·c·e | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| bruised | b·r·ui·s·ed | 1 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| suited | s·ui·t·ed | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| suiting | s·ui·t·i·ng | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| building | b·ui·l·d·i·ng | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| buildings | b·ui·l·d·i·ng·s | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| cruises | c·r·ui·s·e·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| pursuit | p·ur·s·ui·t | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rebuild | r·e·b·ui·l·d | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| rebuilt | r·e·b·ui·l·t | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| recruit | r·e·c·r·ui·t | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| cruising | c·r·ui·s·i·ng | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 109 |
| nuisance | n·ui·s·a·n·c·e | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rebuilds | r·e·b·ui·l·d·s | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| recruits | r·e·c·r·ui·t·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| juicy | j·ui·c·y | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 117 |
| fruity | f·r·ui·t·y | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| juices | j·ui·c·e·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| suitor | s·ui·t·or | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 111 |
| bruises | b·r·ui·s·e·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| builder | b·ui·l·d·er | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| cruiser | c·r·ui·s·er | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| lawsuit | l·aw·s·ui·t | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 93 |
| suitors | s·ui·t·or·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 111 |
| bruising | b·r·ui·s·i·ng | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 109 |
| builders | b·ui·l·d·er·s | 2 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| cruisers | c·r·ui·s·er·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fruitful | f·r·ui·t·f·u·l | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fruiting | f·r·ui·t·i·ng | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| lawsuits | l·aw·s·ui·t·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 93 |
| pursuits | p·ur·s·ui·t·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| sluicing | s·l·ui·c·i·ng | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 109 |
| suitcase | s·ui·t·c·a_e·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fruitless | f·r·ui·t·l·e·ss | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| grapefruit | g·r·a_e·p·f·r·ui·t | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| grapefruits | g·r·a_e·p·f·r·ui·t·s | 2 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| suitable | s·ui·t·a·b·le | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| suitably | s·ui·t·a·b·l·y | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| unsuitable | u·n·s·ui·t·a·b·le | 4 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| recruited | r·e·c·r·ui·t·e·d | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| rebuilding | r·e·b·ui·l·d·i·ng | 3 | /ĭ/ | Not in the sequence |
| recruiting | r·e·c·r·ui·t·i·ng | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| recruitment | r·e·c·r·ui·t·m·e·n·t | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| suitability | s·ui·t·a·b·i·l·i·t·y | 5 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| juiciest | j·ui·c·i·e·s·t | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 117 |
| unsuited | u·n·s·ui·t·e·d | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| nuisances | n·ui·s·a·n·c·e·s | 3 | /ū/ | Lesson 91 |
| fruitlessly | f·r·ui·t·l·e·ss·l·y | 3 | /ū/ | 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.
| Readable after | Words |
|---|---|
| Lesson 91 | 39 |
| Lesson 93 | 2 |
| Lesson 109 | 3 |
| Lesson 111 | 2 |
| Lesson 117 | 2 |
| Not in the sequence | 11 |
How do you teach ui words?
Teach ui /ū/ first with fruit, suit and juice. "Ui says /ū/ here." Then show build and built as a small exception group. The list is short, so practice the whole list a few times and move on.
What mistake do students make with ui words?
Students read fruit with two vowel sounds. Underline ui as a team. For build, prompt the flex: "Try /ĭ/."
Where do ui words come in the sequence?
Ui is taught with ew and ue in the second vowel team unit. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 91.
Exceptions worth knowing
In guide and guitar, u keeps g hard and i is separate. Ruin and fluid have u and i in separate syllables.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 91 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The fruit is in the suit.
- My suit is blue.
- Fruit juice is sweet.
Questions people ask
What are 5 ui words?
What sound does ui make?
Why is build spelled with ui?
When can a student read ui 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.