Ck words: the /k/ sound after a short vowel
Ck is the /k/ sound at the end of duck, sock and kick. It only comes after a short vowel, which makes it a clear rule to learn. Hear every word and try the game.
Ck words list (47 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
-ack words
-eck words
-ick words
-ock words
-uck words
Ck in the middle
Ck words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Ck words spelling game: build the word
Hear a word and build it from letter tiles, one sound at a time. Letter pairs like sh or ck come as one tile, because they spell one sound. Six rounds.
Short answer
What are ck words?
Ck words are words where the letters c and k together spell the single sound /k/, as in back, neck, kick, sock and duck. Ck comes straight after a short vowel, usually at the end of a one-syllable word, and never at the beginning of a word. After a consonant or a long vowel, the /k/ sound is spelled k instead, as in milk and cake, which makes ck one of the most dependable spelling rules children learn.
- Ck is a digraph: c and k both spell /k/, and together they still make just one /k/ sound.
- Ck comes right after a short vowel: back, deck, pick, lock, duck.
- Ck never starts a word; at the start of a word /k/ is spelled c or k (cat, kit).
- After a consonant /k/ is spelled k (milk, bank), and after a long vowel it is usually k or ke (cake, book).
About ck words
Ck is different from the other digraphs on this site in one way: it does not make a new sound. Both c and k already say /k/, and together they still say one /k/. So reading ck words is easy for a child who knows CVC words: duck is read /d/ /u/ /k/, exactly like dug with a different last sound. The real value of ck is for spelling, where it follows a clear rule.
The rule is: use ck for /k/ right after a short vowel in a one-syllable word. Back, neck, pick, sock, duck. If there is a consonant before the /k/ sound, use k (milk, bank, desk). If the vowel is long or spelled with a vowel team, use k or ke (cake, bike, book, peek). The words are grouped here by short vowel so the child can see that the vowel before ck is always a single, short one, and can practise changing only the first sound: back, pack, sack.
The last group shows ck inside two-syllable words such as pocket, rocket and ticket, where it still follows a short vowel. These are a good bridge to longer words. Some words on the list use other patterns the child may not know yet, such as the blends in black and truck, the qu in quick and quack, and the digraphs in check, chick, shock and thick; save those until the simpler words feel easy.
Ck words in sentences
Decodable sentences: every word can be sounded out with the patterns on this page, plus a few very common words.
- The duck is on the dock.
- Pack a snack in the sack.
- Jack can kick the red rock.
- Tick, tock, went the black clock.
- Put the sock in the truck.
- The ticket is in my pocket.
- Check the lock on the deck.
- Quick, pick up the brick!
- The chick is stuck in the mud.
Common mix-ups with ck words
Writing k or c instead of ck
Children often write duk or duc, because one sound feels like one letter. Tie the rule to the vowel: short vowel just before the /k/? Then the /k/ gets two letters, ck.
Adding ck after a consonant
Once ck is learned, some children overuse it: milck, banck. Point to the letter before the /k/. If it is a consonant, the k stands alone. Sort pairs like duck and dunk, pick and pink.
Using ck after a long vowel
Words like cake, bike and book do not use ck, because the vowel is not short. Compare tack and take, lick and like, sock and soak, and listen for the vowel.
Ck words activities
Short vowel check
Say a word ending in /k/: duck, milk, cake, sock, bank. Your child says the vowel sound they hear before the /k/, then decides: short vowel right before it means ck. Write the ones that need ck.
Ck word ladder
Change one letter at a time and read each new word: back, pack, pick, lick, lock, sock, tuck, duck. Only the vowel or first letter changes; ck stays put.
Duck, duck, ck
Read a list of words aloud with some ck words mixed in with other words. Your child quacks each time they hear a word ending in ck after a short vowel, then finds that word on the card.
Two letters in one box
Draw three sound boxes for sock. Your child pushes a counter in for each sound, /s/ /o/ /k/, then writes the letters, putting c and k together in the last box.
Ck words: frequently asked questions
What is the ck rule?
Use ck for the /k/ sound right after a short vowel, usually at the end of a one-syllable word: back, neck, pick, sock, duck. After a consonant use k (milk), and after a long vowel use k or ke (cake, book).
Can a word start with ck?
No. Ck never begins a word. At the start of a word, /k/ is spelled c (cat, cup) or k (kit, keg).
Is ck a digraph?
Yes. Two letters spell one sound, /k/. Because both letters already make that sound on their own, it works a little like a doubled letter.
Why do words like picnic end in c, not ck?
In words of more than one syllable, a final /k/ is often spelled just c: picnic, magic, music, garlic. Ck is the rule for one-syllable words.
Practise next
- Short u wordsShort u is the sound in sun, bug and cup. It is a short, relaxed sound, and many of its words are easy to picture. Tap a word to hear it, read the sentences, and play the listening game.
- Short i wordsShort i is the sound in pig, sit and lip. After short a, it is usually the next vowel children learn to blend. Tap any word to hear it, read the sentences, and try the game below.
- Sh wordsSh is the quiet sound in ship and fish, the one you make when you ask someone to be quiet. Hear every word, read the sentences, and try the listening game.
- Ch wordsCh is the sharp sound in chin and lunch, a bit like a small sneeze. Hear every word, learn when to write tch instead of ch, and try the listening game.