These lists of short ‘U’ words for kids provide simple practice with recognizing the short ‘U’ sound. They’re also a great tool for expanding vocabulary with a focus on word families, letter blends, digraphs, and high frequency words.

Our free downloadable PDFs feature a variety of short ‘U’ words, from simple CVC words to those with blends and digraphs, offering young readers plenty of opportunities to try different challenge levels and strengthen their understanding of this sound. Add in some hands-on fun with the short ‘U” sound activities included at the bottom of the page.

Tip: When using these lists, select words that match your child’s current learning level. You can also use these lists as vocabulary practice, spelling support, or even for phonics games.

What is the Short U Sound?

The short ‘U’ sound often appears in the middle of simple words like sun and cup. It’s pronounced “uh” (as in up)and is represented by the symbol ŭ. The long ‘U’ sound, however, matches the name of the letter U, as in flute.

Short U Word Lists

Below, you’ll find short ‘U’ word lists sorted into categories such as word families, short ‘U’ sight words, and common short ‘U’ words used in sentences.

Short U Words with Word Families

These lists feature short ‘U’ words ending in –ug, -un, -ub, -ut, and -uck.

Short U Words Ending in -ut:

Short U Words Ending in -ug:

Short U Words Ending in -un:

Short U Words Ending in -ub:

Short U Words Ending in -uck:

Short U Word Sight Words

Sight words are also known as high-frequency words because they’re words that occur most frequently in text. When teaching children high-frequency words, encourage them to pay attention to each letter and sound, breaking the word apart phonetically when possible.

Examples of Short U Sight Words:

Short U CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) Words:

Short U Words with Beginning Blends:

Short U Words with Ending Consonant Blends:

Short U Words with Digraphs:

Short U Words Used in Sentences

Short U Words Activities

Short Vowel Sounds Worksheets:

Our free printable Short Vowel Sounds Worksheets are designed to help your child practice their understanding of short vowels, like the short ‘O’ sound, through fun coloring pages and crossword puzzles.

Short ‘U’ Sound Bingo

Create a Bingo card filled with short ‘U’ words (like sun, cup, rug, and hut). As you call out each word, have your child find and mark it on their card. This fun, interactive game promotes listening skills and word recognition for the short ‘U’ sound.

Picture Collage

Look through old magazines and newspapers for pictures of things with the short ‘U’ sound, like a mug, bus, rug, and cup. Let kids make a Short U Sound Collage by gluing the pictures onto a piece of paper and then labeling all of the objects they found.

Treasure Hunt

Write different short ‘U’ words on small pieces of paper and hide them around the room. Let your child go on a word treasure hunt to find them, saying each word aloud as they collect it.

Silly Story Time

Ask your child to create a short story or a few sentences using as many short ‘U’ words as possible. For example, “The sun was up, and the cub jumped in the tub.” Then, have them draw a picture to go with the story.

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