Rhyming Words List by Sound Family
Sound families from -at to -ing, each with common single-syllable rhyming words first and longer words after. Print the page or look up more with the finder.
Words that rhyme share the sound from the last stressed vowel to the end. A sound family collects words that share one ending and change only at the start. Below are ten common families. Common single-syllable words come first, then longer words. Find a family, scan the words, or print the page.
-at words
The short-a family is the easiest place to begin. That and gnat look different at the start (th-, silent g) but end like cat. The longer words are bobcat, tomcat, wildcat and wombat, which end in cat or bat.
Single-syllable words
- bat
- brat
- cat
- chat
- fat
- flat
- gnat
- hat
- mat
- pat
- rat
- sat
- spat
- that
- vat
Longer words
- bobcat
- tomcat
- wildcat
- wombat
More -at words: type cat into the rhyme finder.
-an words
Another short-a family. Began and sedan put the stress on the last syllable, so they rhyme with man straight away. Suntan, outran and caravan end in the same sound, and saucepan ends in pan.
Single-syllable words
- ban
- bran
- can
- clan
- fan
- man
- pan
- plan
- ran
- scan
- span
- tan
- than
- van
Longer words
- began
- sedan
- suntan
- outran
- caravan
- saucepan
More -an words: type man into the rhyme finder.
-ap words
Wrap has a silent w but sits in the family. Unwrap is simply wrap with a prefix, which is a quick way to show how word parts stack.
Single-syllable words
- cap
- chap
- clap
- flap
- gap
- lap
- map
- nap
- rap
- scrap
- slap
- snap
- strap
- tap
- trap
- wrap
Longer words
- kidnap
- mishap
- unwrap
- roadmap
More -ap words: type cap into the rhyme finder.
-ake words
Some words here are spelled -eak: break and steak. They sound the same as cake but look different, so they are worth pointing out to children who are starting to read.
Single-syllable words
- bake
- brake
- break
- cake
- fake
- flake
- lake
- make
- quake
- rake
- shake
- snake
- stake
- steak
- take
- wake
Longer words
- awake
- mistake
- cupcake
- handshake
More -ake words: type cake into the rhyme finder.
-ay words
This sound has several spellings. Most words here use -ay, but they ends in -ey and weigh ends in -eigh.
Single-syllable words
- bay
- clay
- day
- gray
- hay
- lay
- may
- pay
- play
- pray
- say
- spray
- stay
- tray
- way
Same sound, different spelling
- they
- weigh
Longer words
- away
- today
More -ay words: type day into the rhyme finder.
-ight words
The gh in -ight is silent, so the sound is just a long i plus t. The same sound is spelled -ite in bite, kite, quite, site, white and write, and -eight in height.
Single-syllable words
- bright
- fight
- flight
- fright
- light
- might
- night
- right
- sight
- tight
Same sound, different spelling
- bite
- height
- kite
- quite
- site
- white
- write
Longer words
- tonight
- midnight
- sunlight
More -ight words: type light into the rhyme finder.
-ow (as in go) words
This is the long-o sound, the one in go, not the one in cow. Spelling is no guide: toe, though, dough and so all belong here. Bow, row and sow are left out because each can also be said like cow, depending on meaning; look them up in the rhyme finder and pick the meaning you need. For the cow sound (now, how, brow), type cow into the rhyme finder.
Single-syllable words
- blow
- crow
- flow
- glow
- grow
- know
- low
- show
- slow
- snow
- throw
Same sound, different spelling
- dough
- go
- no
- so
- though
- toe
Longer words
- below
- hello
- bestow
- rainbow
More -ow words: type go into the rhyme finder.
-ine words
Sign and design have a silent g but still rhyme with line. In define and refine the stress falls on the second syllable, which is the part that rhymes. Sunshine and outline are compounds.
Single-syllable words
- brine
- dine
- fine
- line
- mine
- nine
- pine
- shine
- shrine
- spine
- vine
- whine
- wine
Same sound, different spelling
- design
- sign
Longer words
- define
- refine
- divine
- sunshine
- outline
More -ine words: type line into the rhyme finder.
-ell words
Most of the single-syllable words end in -ell and a few, like gel, use a single l. Hotel, compel and repel stress the final syllable, while farewell, seashell and doorbell end in a whole word.
Single-syllable words
- bell
- cell
- dwell
- fell
- gel
- sell
- shell
- smell
- spell
- swell
- tell
- well
- yell
Longer words
- farewell
- seashell
- doorbell
- hotel
- compel
- repel
More -ell words: type bell into the rhyme finder.
-ing words
This list contains only words where -ing is the stressed part, such as sing and spring. The suffix in running and stunning is not stressed, so those words rhyme with each other, not with sing.
Single-syllable words
- bring
- cling
- ding
- fling
- king
- ping
- ring
- sing
- sling
- spring
- sting
- string
- swing
- thing
- wing
- zing
Longer words
- offspring
- hamstring
- shoestring
More -ing words: type ring into the rhyme finder.
Next steps
These ten families are a starting set; for other endings such as -ig, -op or -ug, type a word into the rhyme finder. To use lists like these with a child, see how to teach rhyming words. For worksheets and games, see printable rhyming words. To compare any two words, use the rhyme checker.
Words were checked against the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. If an accent makes a pair sound different to you, trust your ear.