How do kids know which spelling to use?

Position does most of the work: ui only sits inside words, while ew and ue finish them. The sort exists to make those positions visible and automatic.

Why do grew and few sound slightly different?

English long u has two close flavors, oo and yoo. The same teams spell both, so the sort groups them together, exactly as phonics programs do.

1st grade long u teams (ew, ue, ui)

1st grade long u teams (ew, ue, ui) worksheets

Ew, ue, and ui are the spelling teams for long u. First graders sort words like new, blue, and fruit into their teams and learn which positions each team prefers.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.c.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll complete and sort

Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column.

fl (a bird did this)frtcrsed (morning drops on grass)trstatcl (a hint that helps solve a mystery)stcasecr

Columns: ew and ue and ui. The clue (a bird did this) picks ew for "fl_", so flew goes under ew; Only ue turns "stat_" into a real word, so statue goes under ue; Only ui turns "cr_se" into a real word, so cruise goes under ui.

Every print pulls a new set of words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 29 words, 15 to a page. All 29 are on 2nd grade sheets too, along with 4 more. 2nd grade sheets print 21 to a page.

Some of the words:

drewstewthrewgrewdueavenuecluejuicyswimsuitgrapefruit

Complete and sort. Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column. 15 words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Circle the team before sorting. With three look-alike teams, the circling step keeps eyes on the letters that matter and stops the guess-from-first-letter habit.

Watch for: Ui is the rare one, and it never ends a word: fruit, juice, suit. If a child hears long u at the END of a word, the choice is between ew and ue. Some ew and ue words say more of an 'oo' than a 'you' sound (grew vs. few). Both count as the long u team; the spelling pattern is the same.

Common questions about 1st grade long u teams (ew, ue, ui)

How do kids know which spelling to use?: Position does most of the work: ui only sits inside words, while ew and ue finish them. The sort exists to make those positions visible and automatic.
Why do grew and few sound slightly different?: English long u has two close flavors, oo and yoo. The same teams spell both, so the sort groups them together, exactly as phonics programs do.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of words? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated August 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets