How is thr different from scr and str?

Th is a digraph, two letters making one sound, so thr is really two sounds, while scr and str are three. Kids hear the difference before they can explain it, and that is fine.

What about spl and spr?

Same family, same skills. This sheet sticks to scr, str, and thr, and a child who owns those three reads spl and spr without being taught.

2nd grade three-letter blends

2nd grade three-letter blends worksheets

Second graders read three-letter blends automatically and spell them without dropping the middle letter, the classic error this sort is built to prevent.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.2.3.

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.

iptipeeam (a small river)owushawapbookobeam (a loud cry)

Columns: scr and str and thr. Only scr turns "_apbook" into a real word, so scrapbook goes under scr; Only str turns "_aw" into a real word, so straw goes under str; Only thr turns "_ow" into a real word, so throw goes under thr.

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 2nd grade sheet

2nd grade sheets draw from 30 words, 21 to a page. All 27 of 1st grade's words are here too, plus 3 more. 1st grade sheets print 15 to a page.

Some of the words:

scratchscriptscrollstripestrikethroatthrewthrashthrobthree

Complete and sort. Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column. 21 words per page.

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

How to teach this

Move to spelling: dictate scrap, stream, throat. The test of a blend is writing it, because dropping the middle letter is a writing error more than a reading one by second grade.

Watch for: Blends are not silent partnerships: every consonant in scr and str keeps its sound. If a child reads 'sting' for 'string,' the middle sound got dropped, and slow stretching fixes it. Thr is different from the others: the th is a digraph (one sound from two letters) plus r. Kids do not need the terminology, but they will hear that thr has two sounds, not three.

Common questions about 2nd grade three-letter blends

How is thr different from scr and str?: Th is a digraph, two letters making one sound, so thr is really two sounds, while scr and str are three. Kids hear the difference before they can explain it, and that is fine.
What about spl and spr?: Same family, same skills. This sheet sticks to scr, str, and thr, and a child who owns those three reads spl and spr without being taught.

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Aligned to Common Core RF.2.3. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated October 2026.

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