Rhyming Words Worksheets
14 worksheets · Sounds & spelling
Start here — 2 free samples
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Rhyming words worksheets
14 printable worksheets with answer keys.
Warm-ups and fillers
Quick Fun Corner activities on the same theme: no preparation.
- Filler · KidsSay two words: “cat – hat.” They rhyme, so children clap! “Dog – sun”? No clap. Then ask: “What rhymes with bee?” “Tree! Three! Me!”
- Filler · C2Pairs rewrite a nursery rhyme in pompous academic prose: “A young gentleman and his companion ascended an incline in pursuit of aqueous refreshment.” The class guesses the rhyme.
About Rhyming words
Words rhyme when they share the same sound from the last stressed vowel to the end: cat/hat, night/kite, bear/chair. Rhyme is a key phonological awareness skill because it trains children to listen to the sounds of words, not just their meaning, and it supports reading through word families (-at, -ig, -op).
Rhyming activities are mainly aimed at young learners, from pre-A1 through Movers. A common difficulty is judging by spelling rather than sound: learners think home and come rhyme because they look alike, and miss that blue and shoe do. Some children also confuse rhyme with words that simply start with the same sound.
This page offers printable rhyming words worksheets with answer keys, including matching, odd-one-out and word family tasks, which can be printed as PDF or completed online via a class link. Songs and chants make natural follow-ups.
Teaching tips: Rhyming words
- Start orally with nursery rhymes and chants before asking learners to match written words.
- Watch for rhymes chosen by spelling rather than sound; include pairs such as blue/shoe and non-pairs such as home/come.
- Play 'rhyme or not?' with thumbs up and down to keep everyone listening.
- Build word family ladders (cat, hat, mat, sat) to connect rhyme with early reading and spelling.
Questions teachers ask
Why is rhyming important for young learners?
Rhyme develops phonological awareness, which helps children notice and manipulate sounds and supports later decoding and spelling.
Do rhyming words have to be spelled the same?
No. Rhyme depends on sound, so blue, shoe and through all rhyme even though their endings are spelled differently.
At what age can children produce rhymes?
Many children recognize rhymes before they can produce them. Producing a rhyme for a given word usually comes a little later with practice.