Short vowel sounds are often the first phonics patterns kids learn. Whether you teach the vowels in alphabetical order or in another order, you’ll come to short ‘i’ pretty quickly. Having lots of examples of short ‘i’ words will help you give students plenty of examples and practice reading and writing the sound.
Grab our free printable Short ‘I’ Word List and Cards, and use them to give students all the practice they need to master the short ‘i’ sound. Then try some of the activities below.
Tips for Teaching Short ‘I’
Short ‘i’ says /i/ as in itch or igloo or in the middle of six or chip. Teach this sound by modeling it, showing students how to make the sound, and having them practice.
For some accents, short ‘e’ and short ‘i’ sound similar so it’s important to show students the correct mouth formation and to enunciate the sound so they can hear and produce the difference. Students can use a mirror to make sure their mouth is moving correctly.
Short ‘I’ Words
CVC Word Families
bit, fit, hit, kit, lit, pit, sit, wit
bid, did, hid, kid, lid, rid
big, dig, fig, gig, jig, pig, rig, wig, zig
dim, him, rim
dip, hip, lip, nip, rip, sip, tip, zip
bin, din, fin, pin, sin, tin, win
fix, mix, six
brick, chick, click, flick, kick, lick, nick, pick, quick, sick, slick, stick, thick, tick, trick, wick
Short ‘I’ Words With Digraphs and Double Consonants
chin, chip, dish, fish, knit, quit, shin, ship, swish, thin, this, whip, wish
Short ‘I’ Words With Consonant Blends
brim, clip, crib, drip, flip, grim, grin, grip, skid, skim, skin, skip, slip, slit, snip, spin, spit, swim, trim, trip, twig, twin, whim
Words That Begin With Short ‘I’
igloo, ill, in, inch, ink, insect, inside, is, it, itch
How To Use the Word Lists and Cards
Teach short ‘i’ words through routines and activities. Model how to say the short ‘i’ sound, and teach vocabulary alongside the phonics so students expand their word knowledge as they learn to read and write.
Teaching all of the short vowels? Find word lists and cards for teaching short ‘a’ words and short ‘e’ words.
Map the Sounds
Students need to learn to connect letters and sounds. To help students do this, help them hear the short ‘i.’ The process is simple: Say a word from the short ‘i’ list, help students isolate each sound, write the letters to match the sounds, and read the word.
Sound Hop
Have students read short ‘i’ word cards. Then, put the cards on the ground and have students hop over them. Each time they hop, they look down and read the word they see.
Headband Words
This is a great way to get students up and moving around. Clip word cards to headbands for students to wear. Students walk around the room and read each other’s headbands.
Sidewalk Word Relay
For this activity, you’ll need sidewalk chalk and the word cards. Read a word, then have students write the word on the sidewalk using chalk. When you have all the words written, give a student a word card and have them read the card and run to the written word on the sidewalk.
Word Ladders
This is a fun way to practice phonemic awareness as well as word reading. Start with one word, like sit. The student writes the initial word. Then, tell them to change one letter to make a new word. So, you might say, “change sit to fit” or “change the first sound to /f/.” Change the words five or six times until the original word is completely different. This is a great way to practice all the vowel sounds as you change the middle sound as well.
Make It Magnetic
Use letter magnets to have students spell words. Read a word and have students use the magnets to create each word. If you have students who are at the same skill level, have them race to see who can find the letters first.
Get Your Free Short ‘I’ Printables
Print copies of the word list and cards to keep on hand for spelling lists, teaching examples, and for games and activities like the ones described above.