Long U Worksheets: 5 Free Printables
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Get five FREE Long U worksheets, each targeting different skills and reinforcing the two sounds and different spellings of Long U. Your students will master Long U with these worksheets!
The Sounds of Long U
Long vowel sounds are very common sounds in English words. We teach kids that long vowel graphemes (spellings) say their name, so:
- Long a says /ā/ like acorn.
- Long e says /ē/ like equal.
- Long i says /ī/ like ice.
- Long o says /ō/ like ocean.
- Long u says /yoo/ like unicycle, OR /oo/ like boot.
Long U is unique, because the long u graphemes can actually represent two different sounds!
U represents /yoo/
There are five graphemes that represent long U when it spells the /yoo/ sound:
- u like unicorn
- u-e like mute
- ew like curfew
- ue like argue
- eu like eucalyptus
U represents /oo/
There are seven ways to spell long U when it spells the /oo/ sound:
- u like ruler
- u-e like tube
- ew like stew
- ue like glue
- oo like balloon
- ou like soup
- ui like fruit
➡️ Dive Deeper: Learn more about each grapheme in our article about Long U words, and get two free printable lists.
Long U Worksheets
Because of the complexity of the sounds and spellings of Long U, this can be difficult for students to master. Students need plenty of practice so they can learn which phonogram is used to spell specific words.
All worksheets work best after these graphemes have been introduced: u, u-e, ew, ue, and ui.
Long U Word Sort Practice
Students will highlight the long U sound in each word, then cut and paste them under the correct grapheme.
Challenge kids – can they identify the syllable type, too? (Included are open syllables, magic e syllables, and vowel team syllables.)
Long U Listen & Spell Worksheet
The first part of this worksheet targets identifying a speech sound in a spoken word. Kids will carefully review pictures, listening to determine if the word has the /oo/ or /yoo/ sound. They’ll color in all the pictures that contain this sound.
The second part of the worksheet targets decoding and encoding using decodable sentences. Kids will read the sentence, determine the missing word, and spell the word using the correct grapheme.
Long U Picture Sound Sort Worksheet
Kids will say the words of each picture, listening carefully to the individual speech sounds within the words. Then, they’ll cut and sort according to Long U and Not Long U sounds.
Long U Spelling Choices Worksheet
This worksheet helps kids refine their spelling. Using a dictionary for support, they’ll choose the right spelling choice and color the pictures, too.
2 Sounds of Long U Word Sort
This printable is aimed at distinguishing which long u sound is heard within words. Kids should isolate each phoneme in the word, listening for the /oo/ or /yoo/ sound, and sort the words according to the sound.
This is the most challenging worksheet of the five. It may be especially difficult worksheet for students, particularly those with phonological deficits such as those with dyslexia. In that case, this may be best used as an adult directed activity.
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⭐️ More FREEBIES: Long U Words List, Long Vowel Anchor Chart.