2nd Grade Beginning Blends (bl, cr, st) Worksheets
Second graders read and spell blend words fluently and can explain the difference between a blend (two sounds, crab) and a digraph (one new sound, chip). Sorting by family keeps the patterns organized while spelling catches up with reading.
Free printable PDF, aligned to Common Core RF.2.3. One skill per page, answer key on page two.
Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.
The kind of words you'll sort
Say each word, then write it under its blend family.
cryskatestonebrushflatfrogflameclapgrabflipsticksweet
Columns: l-blends and r-blends and s-blends. "clap" belongs under l-blends; "cry" belongs under r-blends; "skate" belongs under s-blends.
Every print draws a fresh mix of word lists at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Sorting. Say each word, then write it under its blend family. 21 words per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Run the blend-or-digraph test on tricky starters: can you hear both letters? Crab yes, chip no. Spelling errors like "gass" for grass mean the blend needs more ear-time, not more copying. A daily ten-second hunt for blend words in any book keeps it fresh.
Watch for: A blend is not a digraph: in a blend you hear both letters (crab), in a digraph the two letters make one new sound (chip). The columns are named for the letter the family shares: bl and fl are l-blends, cr and tr are r-blends, and st and sw are s-blends.
Common questions about beginning blends (bl, cr, st)
- Why isn't "sl" on this worksheet?
- Because sl legitimately belongs to two families at once, it starts with s and ends with l, and a sorting page needs every word to have exactly one right column. Sl words are real and common; they just make unfair sort questions, so we leave them for reading practice instead.
- My child spells "stop" as "sop." What's happening?
- The second sound of the blend is getting swallowed, which is the classic blend error. Say the word in slow motion, s...t...op, and have your child tap once per sound before writing. When the ear finds both consonants, the pencil follows within a week or two.
Related worksheets
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Aligned to Common Core RF.2.3. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.