were
The word were begins with w and ends with the letters e-r-e. Its first e is not clearly heard in every pronunciation, so keep the written sequence w-e-r-e.
1st Grade · High-Frequency Words
1st Grade High-Frequency Words — Set 5
1st Grade High-Frequency Words — Set 5 contrasts ou in out with ay in day, groups short-vowel words and endings, and focuses on were, want, some, and find.
Word list
All 12 words in this list
1st Grade · High-Frequency Words
- out
- up
- were
- next
- want
- had
- so
- some
- then
- day
- find
- well
12 words
What to notice when spelling these words
Hear the vowel teams in out and day
The words out and day each contain a familiar vowel team. Use ou inside out and ay at the end of day. The word so has a long o sound too, but it needs only the single o at the end.
Build the short-vowel words around their endings
The words up and had map directly with short vowels. In next, listen through the final blend st; in then, begin with the digraph th. The word well ends with ll, a useful detail that separates its spelling from a single-l ending.
Several other words in this set have one vowel spelling that deserves focused attention. Their notes pinpoint that part while keeping the consonants available for sound-by-sound mapping.
Notes for particular words
want
The word want is spelled with a even though its vowel often does not sound like the short a in had. Keep the ending n-t: w-a-n-t.
some
The word some ends with silent e, but the o keeps its short u sound. Write s-o-m-e, keeping the final e.
find
The i in find says its name before the ending nd. Keep the consonants in the order n-d: f-i-n-d.