Words That Start with the Letter R for Kids
Find a list of letter R words, letter R activities, and tips for teaching the letter R sound and words to your child.
These lists of letter R words for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students aim to help children get familiar with the letter R sound and expand their vocabulary with a list of letter R words.
Young learners may not be able to read many of these words on their own. Adults can read unknown words aloud to their children, helping them hear the beginning letter R sound. Simply print out our list of letter R words to work on with your child, along with our letter R pictures to help your child gain an understanding of what these new words mean.
Pick and choose the words you feel are appropriate for your child, and remember that this list can be used to familiarize your child with the sound of the letter R, as a vocabulary list, or as a spelling list.
Older children can practice reading the lists of letter R words and their definitions on their own or with an adult. Each word is also used in a sentence to help children understand the word’s meaning. Our lists include words that may act as review for your child, as well as words that will challenge them.
You can further enhance your child’s learning with our list of letter R activities for children and find tips on teaching new words and sounds to your child at the bottom of this page.
Lists of Letter R Words
Select the words that you think are suitable for your child. Keep in mind that these lists of words can be used to help familiarize your child with the sound of the letter R, act as a list for vocabulary building, or be used for spelling practice. Younger children will likely need you to read the list to them.
3-Letter R Words
☐ rag: a piece of old cloth. “He used a rag to clean the spill.”
☐ ran: past tense of run. “She ran to catch the bus.”
☐ rap: a quick, sharp knock. “He gave a rap on the door.”
☐ red: a color similar to a ruby or tomato. “She wore a red dress.”
☐ rid: to remove someone or something. “He wanted to get rid of the old furniture.”
☐ rim: the edge of something circular. “She touched the rim of the glass.”
☐ rip: to tear something. “He accidentally made a rip in his shirt.”
☐ rot: to decay or decompose. “The fruit began to rot in the heat.”
☐ row: to propel a boat with oars. “They will row across the lake.”
☐ rub: to move over something with pressure. “She began to rub the sunscreen onto her skin.”
☐ rug: a small carpet. “She placed a rug in the living room.”
☐ run: to move swiftly on foot. “He likes to run in the park.”
Simple Preschool Letter R Words
☐ race: a competition of speed. “She won the bike race.”
☐ rain: water that falls from clouds in drops. “The sky got cloudy before it started to rain.
☐ real: something that truly exists. “She found a real treasure in the attic.”
☐ rest: to cease work or movement in order to relax. “They decided to rest after the long hike.”
☐ ring: a small circular band worn on a finger. “She showed off her new ring.”
☐ rock: a solid material made of minerals. “They climbed the big rock.”
☐ role: the part played by a person or thing. “She played the role of the queen in the play.”
☐ rope: a length of strong cord made by twisting together strands of natural fibers. “They used a rope to tie the boat to the dock.”
☐ roll: to move in one direction by turning over and over. “The ball began to roll down the hill.”
☐ rules: a set of understood guidelines for how people should behave. “He explained the rules of playing baseball.”
Kindergarten Letter R Words
☐ radio: a device that receives broadcast signals. “They listened to the news on the radio.”
☐ raise: to lift or move something to a higher position. “She helped raise the flag.”
☐ rate: a measure, quantity, or frequency. “They calculated the rate of growth.”
☐ rattle: a toy that makes noise when shaken. “The baby played with a rattle.”
☐ reach: to stretch out an arm to touch or grab something. “He tried to reach the top shelf.”
☐ ready: prepared mentally or physically. “She was ready for the test.”
☐ rectangle: a four-sided shape with opposite sides of the same length. “He drew a rectangle on the board.”
☐ return: to go back to a place. “They will return home after the trip.”
☐ ripe: a fruit or vegetable that’s fully developed and ready to eat. “The bananas are ripe.”
☐ risk: the possibility of loss or injury. “He took a big risk by pitching in the baseball game with no experience playing the sport.”
☐ round: having a curved shape like a circle. “The table was round.”
Elementary Letter R Words
☐ random: happening by chance or without planning. “The teacher picked a random name from the hat to choose who would go first.”
☐ range: the difference between the lowest and highest numbers in a group of numbers.”They measured the range of temperatures.”
☐ ranger: a person who takes care of a park or forest. “The ranger gave them a tour of the state park.”
☐ rapid: happening at a fast pace. “They worked quickly and made rapid progress.”
☐ rare: not occurring often; hard to find. “She has a rare collection of stamps.”
☐ recycle: to convert garbage into reusable material. “They recycle paper and plastic.”
☐ reduce: to make smaller or less in amount. “They need to reduce waste so they recycle.”
☐ report: a spoken or written account of something. “She wrote a report on the experiment.”
☐ resource: a stock or supply of materials. “Water is an important resource.”
☐ rescue: to save someone from a dangerous situation. “Firefighters rescue people from a variety of dangerous situations.”
☐ respond: to say something in reply. “She didn’t know how to respond to his question.”
☐ reward: something given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. “She received a reward for her hard work.”
☐ right: morally good or acceptable. “He made the right decision.”
Letter R Food Words
☐ radish: a small, spicy root vegetable. “She added sliced radish to the salad.”
☐ raisin: a dried grape. “He likes to snack on raisins.”
☐ raspberry: a small, red, edible fruit. “She picked fresh raspberries.”
☐ ravioli: pasta wrapped around ground meat, cheese, or vegetables. “They had ravioli for dinner.”
☐ relish: a condiment eaten with food to add flavor. “He put dill pickle relish on his hot dog.”
☐ rhubarb: a plant with large leaves and tart edible stalks often used in pies. “She made a rhubarb pie.”
☐ rice: a cereal grain that is an important food for many people. “They served rice with chicken and broccoli.”
☐ roast: to cook food by exposing it to heat for a long time. “The turkey took several hours to roast in the oven.”
☐ roll: a small, rounded mass of bread. “She buttered a roll.”
☐ rosemary: an herb used in cooking for its aromatic flavor. “She seasoned the chicken with rosemary.”
Letter R Animal Words
☐ rabbit: a small mammal with long ears. “The rabbit hopped through the garden.”
☐ raccoon: a nocturnal mammal known for its black mask and ringed tail. “They saw a raccoon near the trash cans.”
☐ ram: a male sheep. “The ram had large, curved horns.”
☐ rattlesnake: a poisonous snake known for the rattling sound its tail makes. “They spotted a rattlesnake in the desert.”
☐ raven: a large, black bird known for its intelligence. “The raven cawed from the treetop.”
☐ reindeer: a deer with large antlers found in northern regions. “Santa’s sleigh is pulled by reindeer.”
☐ rhino: short for rhinoceros, a large, thick-skinned mammal with one or two horns. “They visited the rhino at the zoo.”
☐ robin: a small bird with red feathers on its chest. “The robin sang in the morning.”
☐ rodent: a small mammal such as a rat or a mouse. “Rodents often live in burrows in the ground.”
☐ rooster: a male chicken known for crowing. “The rooster crowed at dawn.”
Discover Our Online Learning Tools
ABCmouse offers so much more than printable word lists for your child, including interactive and engaging content that reinforces math and reading skills. Our app features 11,000+ learning activities and 850+ complete lessons for children aged 2–8, as well as personalized learning paths.
Check Out ABCmouse ➜
Letter R Object Words
☐ racquet: an object with a round or oval frame used in tennis and other sports. “He hit the ball with his racket.”
☐ raft: a flat structure for floating over water. “They built a raft to cross the river.”
☐ rake: a tool used to gather leaves. “He used a rake to collect the leaves.”
☐ ramp: a sloped surface joining two different levels. “They used a ramp to move the equipment.”
☐ recipe: a set of instructions for preparing food. “She followed the recipe to bake a cake.”
☐ ring: a small circular band worn on a finger. “She showed off her new ring.”
☐ ruler: a tool used to measure length. “He used a ruler to figure out where to cut the wood.”
Letter R Places Words
☐ ranch: a large farm for raising animals. “They visited a cattle ranch in Wyoming.”
☐ ravine: a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides. “They hiked along the ravine.”
☐ reef: a ridge of rocks, sand, or coral near the surface of the water. “They went snorkeling near a coral reef in Australia.”
☐ region: an area of land with characteristics making it different from other areas. “We live in a region where it snows a lot in the winter.”
☐ reserve: a protected area for wildlife. “They visited a wildlife reserve.”
☐ restaurant: a place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are prepared for them. “They had dinner at a new restaurant.”
☐ road: an open path leading from one place to another that’s often paved. “They drove down a long road to get home.”
☐ room: a part of a building enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling. “She cleaned her room.”
Letter R Nature and Environment Words
☐ rainbow: an arc of colors visible in the sky caused by the refraction of sunlight. “They saw a rainbow after the storm.”
☐ ray: a narrow beam of light. “The sun’s rays shone through the window.”
☐ river: a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a lake or ocean. “They went swimming in the river.”
☐ root: the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground and allows it to absorb water and nutrients. “The tree has deep roots.”
☐ rose: a type of flowering shrub that often has thorns. “She picked a red rose from the garden.”
Letter R Emotions and Traits
☐ radiant: sending out light; shining or glowing brightly. “Her smile was radiant on the day of her party.”
☐ rational: based on reason or logic. “It is rational to wear a coat when it is cold outside.”
☐ rebellious: showing a desire to resist authority. “The rebellious teen challenged the rules.”
☐ regret: to feel sad or sorry about something “She felt regret over her decision to skip basketball tryouts.”
☐ relaxed: free from tension and anxiety. “He felt relaxed after spending the day at the beach.”
☐ reliable: consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted. “He is a reliable friend.”
☐ relief: no longer feeling distressed or anxious. “She felt relief when her lost puppy was returned.”
☐ respectful: showing politeness or mindfulness of others. “They were respectful to the people in the library and kept their voices down.”
☐ responsible: being dependable; making good choices. “He is a responsible student and always gets his homework done on time.”
☐ restless: unable to rest or relax due to boredom or anxiety. “He felt restless during the long car ride.”
Letter R Action Words
☐ rant: to speak or shout at length in a wild way. “He began to rant about the unfair rules.”
☐ read: to look at and understand the meaning of written or printed words. “He likes to read books before bed.”
☐ research: to study or collect information on a certain subject. “She conducted research for her project on coral reefs.”
☐ ride: to sit on or in a moving vehicle or animal to get to another place. “We’ll ride the train to go visit your grandparents.”
☐ rush: to move quickly. “She had to rush to finish her homework.”
Free Printable Letter R Words Lists
Simply download and print our PDFs of the letter R word lists to review with your children. One list includes all of our letter R words and the other lists features our letter R words along with their definitions and the words used in a simple sentence.
Letter R Words with Pictures
Preschoolers and kindergarteners will appreciate having illustrations to look at while learning new letter R words. As you read the words aloud to them, draw their attention to the letter R sound as you pronounce the word. Point at the corresponding picture as you say the letter R word. You can choose from our printable letter R words with pictures to color or letter R words with illustrations.
Letter R Activities
Letter R Song:
Learning about the letter R is especially fun when it’s a song kids can listen, dance, and sing to.
Letter R Worksheets:
These free printable letter R worksheets can help children learn to recognize the letter R, say its name and the sound it makes, and start learning how to write it, too.
Tips for Teaching Letter R Words
- Model the Sound
While reviewing the letter R word lists, draw attention to the shape your mouth makes while creating the letter R sound. Have your child make the letter R sound in front of a mirror to help them see how their mouth moves when making this sound.
- Create a Sound-Rich Environment
Surround your child with opportunities to hear and practice the R sound. Read books that have R words, sing songs, and recite rhymes emphasizing the R sound. Repetition in different forms can help solidify their understanding.
- Play Letter and Sound Games
Make learning fun with games that focus on the R sound. You can play “I Spy” with R words, create matching games with pictures and words starting with R, or use alphabet cards to form words with the letter R. These games not only make learning enjoyable but also provide practice in a playful and engaging manner.
Additional Resources
ABCmouse has educational resources for children aged 2-8, as well as resources to help parents and teachers.
Kindergarten Vocabulary Words
Find vocabulary words for your kindergartener, plus learn how to use them and the benefits of knowing them.
Browse →
Free Reading Charts for Kids
Get printable reading logs for every month and reading reward charts, create your own book recommendations, and find a variety of reading challenges.
Browse →
Letter Sound Activities for Young Kids
Try these interactive and educational activities that can make learning letter sounds more fun and effective.
Browse →
