Words that Start With the Letter U for Kids
Our list of letter U words comes with letter U activities and tips for teaching the letter U sound and words to your child.
This comprehensive list of letter U words is designed to help preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students get familiar with the letter U sound and grow their vocabulary with a list of letter U words.
Young learners may need adults to read unknown words aloud, helping them hear the beginning letter U sound. Simply print out our list of letter U words to work on with your child, along with our letter U pictures to help your child gain an understanding of what these new words mean. You’ll find simple words, such as up, as well as more challenging words, like unicycle.
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 U, as a vocabulary list, or as a spelling list.
We’ve also included a definition of each word and used it in a short sentence, which can further aid your child in learning each word’s meaning. We’re also sharing letter U activities for children to help enhance their learning, as well as tips for parents on how to teach letter U words to their children.
Lists of Letter U 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 U, 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 U Words
☐ ugh: a phrase used to show unhappiness or disgust. “Ugh, this milk is sour!”
☐ ump: short for umpire, an official in a sport who enforces the rules. “The ump made a close call at home plate.”
☐ use: to employ for a purpose. “He will use a pen to write.”
Simple Preschool Letter U Words
☐ uh: an expression used to indicate hesitation. “Uh, I’m not sure where I put my keys.”
☐ under: in a position below something else. “The cat hid under the bed.”
☐ until: up to the time of. “She played outside until it got dark.”
☐ up: towards a higher place or position. “She climbed up the ladder.”
☐ upper: situated above another part. “She lives on the upper floor.”
☐ urge: to strongly encourage someone to do something. “She urged him to study for the test.”
☐ us: used to refer to the person speaking and the other person of people they’re with. “They invited us to the party.”
☐ usual: a typical occurrence. “It was her usual morning routine.”
Kindergarten Letter U Words
☐ uncle: the brother of one’s parent. “My dad’s brother is named Bob. Bob is my uncle.”
☐ unfair: not fair. “It was unfair that he got more candy.”
☐ unicorn: a fairytale animal that looks like a horse with a single horn on its forehead. “The storybook featured a beautiful unicorn.”
☐ unit: a single, complete thing that is part of a larger whole. “There are four units we will study for science this week.”
☐ unknown: not known or familiar. “The path through the forest led to an unknown place.”
☐ unlock: to open something locked. “She unlocked the door with her key.”
☐ useful: able to be used for a purpose. “Her key was very useful in unlocking the door.”
Elementary Letter U Words
☐ unanimous: in complete agreement. “The vote was unanimous, with everyone agreeing to the new rule.”
☐ unbelievable: hard to believe because it is so surprising. “The magician’s tricks were unbelievable.”
☐ uncertain: not sure. “She felt uncertain about her answer.”
☐ uncomfortable: causing or feeling discomfort. “The chair was uncomfortable to sit in.”
☐ underline: to draw a line under something. “Please underline the important words.”
☐ undoubtedly: without doubt; certainly. “She is undoubtedly the best player on the team.”
☐ unexpected: not expected. “The sudden rain was unexpected on a sunny day.”
☐ unfinished: not completed. “The painting was still unfinished.”
☐ unfortunate: having bad luck. “It was unfortunate that the picnic was canceled.”
☐ understand: to grasp the meaning of something. “He tried to understand the lesson.”
☐ unique: being the only one of its kind. “Each snowflake is unique and different from the others.”
☐ unlikely: not probable. “It is unlikely to snow today since it’s so warm.”
☐ unlimited: without any limits. “The library seems to have an unlimited number of books to read.
Letter U Food Words
☐ udon: a type of thick Japanese noodle. “They had udon noodles in their soup for dinner.”
☐ ugli fruit: a citrus fruit that’s a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine. “She tried an ugli fruit for the first time and liked it.”
☐ umeboshi: a Japanese pickled plum. “Umeboshi is often served with rice.”
☐ unleavened bread: bread made without yeast. “They ate unleavened bread during the meal.”
☐ upside-down cake: a cake baked with the toppings at the bottom. “My grandma makes delicious pineapple upside-down cake.”
☐ uttapam: a South Indian pancake made from rice and lentil batter. “Uttapam is often served with chutney.”
Letter U Animal Words
☐ uakari: a type of monkey with a red face found in South America. “The uakari swung from branch to branch.”
☐ uguisu: a Japanese bush warbler. “The uguisu sang a beautiful song.”
☐ umbrellabird: a bird with a distinctive umbrella-like crest. “The umbrellabird’s call echoed through the forest.”
☐ urchin: a small, spiny sea creature. “The sea urchin moved slowly along the ocean floor.”
☐ urial: a type of wild sheep found in Central Asia. “The urial grazed on the hillside.”
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Letter U Object Words
☐ ukulele: a small stringed instrument that looks like a miniature guitar. “He played a song on his ukulele.”
☐ umbrella: a device for protection against rain or sun. “She stood under her umbrella when it started to rain.”
☐ unicycle: a bicycle with a single wheel, typically used by performers. “He learned to ride a unicycle for the parade.”
☐ uniform: a special set of clothes worn by members of the same organization. “She wears a uniform to school.”
☐ universe: all existing matter and space. “The stars and planets are part of the universe.”
☐ utensil: a tool used for eating or cooking. “There’s a draw in the kitchen to hold our utensils.”
Letter U Places Words
☐ underground: beneath the surface of the ground. “They explored the underground cave.”
☐ underpass: a road or path that goes under another road or railway. “They walked through the underpass.”
☐ university: an institution of higher education. “She plans to attend university next year.”
☐ uptown: the northern part of a city. “They live in the uptown area.”
☐ urban: relating to a city. “The city is an urban area with many tall buildings and busy streets.”
☐ utopia: an imagined place of perfect happiness. “In the story, the island was a utopia where everyone was happy and lived in peace.”
Letter U Nature and Environment Words
☐ ultraviolet: shorter light waves that are produced by the sun that people can’t see “Ultraviolet rays can cause sunburn.”
☐ understory: shrubs and small trees growing beneath taller trees. “The forest’s understory was thick.”
☐ underwater: beneath the surface of the water. “They went scuba diving to explore the underwater world.”
☐ uninhabited: a place where no one lives. “They discovered an uninhabited island.”
☐ unleaded: fuel that does not contain lead. “They filled the car with unleaded gas.”
☐ upcycle: to reuse discarded objects or materials to create a new product. “She decided to upcycle old jeans into a stylish bag.”
☐ upland: high or hilly land. “They hiked through the upland region.”
Letter U Emotions and Traits Words
☐ upbeat: cheerful and optimistic. “She had an upbeat attitude.”
☐ understanding: the ability to understand something. “Her understanding of the topic was excellent.”
☐ ungrateful: not feeling or showing gratitude. “He was ungrateful for the help he received.”
☐ unfriendly: not friendly. “The new neighbor seemed unfriendly.”
☐ unreasonable: not guided by or based on good sense. “It is unreasonable to expect to eat candy for every meal.”
☐ unpredictable: not able to be predicted. “The weather is unpredictable and could change at any moment.”
☐ unsure: not certain. “She was unsure about which path to take.”
☐ unusual: not common or ordinary. “It was unusual to see snow in July.”
☐ unwilling: not wanting to do something. “He was unwilling to go outside in the rain.”
☐ unwavering: steady and certain. “She showed unwavering determination to finish the puzzle.”
☐ unwise: not wise; foolish. “It was unwise to go out without a coat in the winter.”
☐ upset: to make someone unhappy or worried. “He felt upset when his ice cream fell on the ground.”
☐ utmost: most extreme; greatest. “She showed the utmost care when handling the baby kittens.”
Letter U Action Words
☐ underestimate: to think that something is less important than it is. “Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the task.”
☐ unfold: to open or spread out from a folded position. “She unfolded the map.”
☐ unite: to come together as one. “The team needs to unite to win.”
☐ unplug: to disconnect from an electrical outlet. “He unplugged the computer.”
☐ unravel: to undo something twisted or woven. “She began to unravel the threads of the old sweater.”
☐ update: to provide with new or current information. “Please give me an update on the progress of your school project.”
☐ uphold: to maintain or support. “They promised to uphold the rules of the game to be fair.”
☐ upload: to transfer data from one computer to another. “She uploaded the photos to her online album.”
☐ uproot: to pull something, especially a plant, out of the ground. “They had to uproot the old tree.”
☐ utilize: to make practical and effective use of something. “They will utilize the new equipment.”
Free Printable Letter U Words Lists
Download and print our PDFs of the letter U word lists to review with your children. One list includes all of our letter U words and the other lists features our letter U words along with their definitions and the words used in a simple sentence.
Letter U Words with Pictures
Preschoolers and kindergarteners will appreciate having illustrations to look at while learning new letter U words. As you read the words aloud to them, draw their attention to the letter U sound as you pronounce the word. Point at the corresponding picture as you say the letter U word. You can choose from our printable letter U words with pictures to color or letter U words with illustrations.
Letter U Activities
Letter U Song:
Learning about the letter U is especially fun when it’s a song kids can listen, dance, and sing to.
Letter U Worksheets:
These free printable letter U worksheets can help children learn to recognize the letter U, say its name and the sound it makes, and start learning how to write it, too.
Tips for Teaching Letter U Words
- Long and Short U Sound
The letter U makes two sounds–a short U sound like “uh” as in up and umbrella, and a long U sound like “u” as in unicorn and unique. Help your child learn both letter U sounds by calling their attention to the sound the letter makes in the words you see in the letter U lists.
- Letter U Sound Rule
As your child becomes familiar with making the long and short letter U sounds, you can teach them this trick to help determine if a word is using the long or short letter U sound. U + consonant + vowel = long U sound and U + consonant + consonant = short U sound
- Be Patient
Learning new sounds can be tricky, as some letter sounds are harder to master than others. Whether it’s the sound of the letter U or another letter sound, take your time mastering each letter sound and take a break if your child becomes frustrated.
Additional Resources
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