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-ip word family list

The -ip word family is every word that ends in ip, such as dip, nip, rip. Most of the family comes with a blend or a digraph at the start, which makes it a good bridge from three-letter words to longer ones.

This list has 17 -ip words in 2 groups. The first group is the easiest; the later groups add a blend, a digraph or a second syllable, so your child can keep going as the pattern gets easy.

Starter words

  • dip
  • nip
  • rip
  • sip
  • tip
  • zip

Words with blends and digraphs

  • chip
  • clip
  • drip
  • flip
  • grip
  • ship
  • skip
  • slip
  • snip
  • trip
  • whip

How to use this list

  1. Read the starter words first, then show how adding one letter makes a new word: rip to trip, sip to slip.
  2. Read this silly sentence together: "A ship can dip and slip on a trip."
  3. Keep sessions short: a few minutes a day beats one long session a week.
  4. Ask your child to say each sound and then blend them into the word. If they guess from the first letter, cover the word and go sound by sound again.
  5. Print the flashcards, mix them up, and read them out of order once the list feels easy, so your child is reading the word and not remembering the list.

Frequently asked questions

What is the -ip word family?

A group of words that all end in the same letters and sound, -ip. Children read the ending as one chunk, so they only have to work out the sound at the start.

What is the difference between a blend and a digraph?

In a blend, like the fl in flip, you can still hear both sounds. In a digraph, like the sh in ship, two letters make one new sound.

Should my child memorise these words?

No. The aim is to read the ending as a chunk and blend it with the first sound. If your child can read a word from the list they have never seen before, the pattern has clicked.

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