The ag word family: -ag words list
Bag, rag, tag and wag all end in -ag. Hear every word in the family, from three-letter words to zigzag and beanbag, read the sentences, and play the game.
Ag family words list (24 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
CVC -ag words
-ag words with blends
Longer words ending in -ag
Ag family words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Ag family 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 is the ag word family?
The ag word family is the group of words that end in the rime -ag, short a followed by g, as in bag, rag, tag and wag. Children read them by blending the first sound onto -ag: t + ag, tag. The family continues with blends such as flag, drag and snag and with longer compound words such as zigzag, handbag and beanbag.
- The rime -ag is short a followed by /g/, as in bag.
- In many American accents the a in bag sounds a little closer to the vowel in day; the spelling is still short a.
- The g in -ag is the hard g sound of go, never the j sound of gem.
- Many longer -ag words are compounds built on bag: handbag, beanbag, sandbag, mailbag.
About ag family words
The -ag rime is short a followed by a hard /g/, the sound at the start of go. It has one interesting wrinkle in American English: before g, many speakers raise the short a a little, so bag can sound closer to bayg than to the a in cat. This varies by region. Children should still learn that the letter a in bag is short a; you can simply accept whichever way it sounds in your family's accent.
The seven three-letter words are the place to start. The blends group then adds two-letter starts where both sounds are heard: br in brag, dr in drag, fl in flag, sn in snag. Say the blend slowly as two sounds, f-l, then faster, fl, before adding -ag. This is where many children first notice that a word can start with two consonants.
Most of the longer words are compound words built around bag or rag: hand + bag, bean + bag, dish + rag. Zigzag is a fun one because it holds two rimes, -ig and -ag, which makes it a good bridge to the -ig family. Reading the parts separately, then together, is the easiest way into any of them.
Ag family words in sentences
Decodable sentences: every word can be sounded out with the patterns on this page, plus a few very common words.
- The dog can wag and tag.
- Put the rag in the bag.
- The flag is on the crag.
- Drag the beanbag to the mat.
- A stag ran in a zigzag.
- Mom has a red handbag.
- Can the schoolbag sag?
- The mailbag got a snag in it.
Common mix-ups with ag family words
-ag and -eg (bag and beg)
Short a and short e are close, and the raised a in bag can make it closer still. Read pairs slowly, bag/beg, lag/leg, and have your child watch whether your mouth opens wide (a) or stays smaller (e).
g and j sounds
Children who have seen gem or giraffe may wonder if g says /j/. At the end of -ag words it is always the hard g of go. Keep a picture of a goat next to the list as a reminder.
Flag read as lag
In blends, a child may drop one of the two sounds and read flag as lag. Have them put one finger up for f and one for l before reading, so both sounds get said.
Ag family words activities
Grab bag
Write -ag words on slips and put them in a paper bag. Your child pulls one out, reads it, and does an action if there is one: wag a hand, drag a foot, zigzag across the room.
Flag line
Cut triangle flags from paper, write an -ag word on each, and string them on a line. Your child reads each flag as it is pegged up. Reread the whole line at the end of the week.
Zigzag path
Tape a zigzag line on the floor with an -ag word card at every corner. Your child walks the path and reads each corner word before turning. Swap in a few -ig words for a harder round.
Build a compound
Write hand, bean, sand, mail and school on one set of cards and bag on another. Your child joins a card to bag, reads the new word, then splits it again. It shows how long words are built.
Ag family words: frequently asked questions
What words are in the ag word family?
The three-letter ones are bag, lag, nag, rag, sag, tag and wag. With blends you get brag, crag, drag, flag, snag and stag, and longer words include zigzag, handbag, beanbag, sandbag and schoolbag.
Why does bag sound different from cat?
In many American accents, short a before g is raised, so bag sounds a little like bayg. It varies by region. The spelling and the phonics rule stay the same: a between consonants is short.
Is -ag a good first word family?
It works well as a second or third short a family, after -at or -an. The g sound at the end is clear, and the family has useful everyday words like bag and flag.
What family should come after -ag?
The -ig family pairs nicely with -ag, because words like zigzag contain both. Moving from bag to big also makes your child look at the vowel.
Practise next
- Ig family wordsBig, dig, pig and wig all end in -ig, the first short i family most children learn. Hear each word, see how -ig works in longer words, and play the game.
- Ap family wordsCap, map, nap and tap all end in -ap. The family is large, so it is great for practice once -at feels easy. Hear the words, read the sentences and play the game.
- At family wordsThe -at family is usually the very first word family children learn: cat, hat, mat and sat all end in the same two letters. Hear each word, read the sentences and try the game.
- Short a wordsShort a is the sound in cat, map and bag, and it is usually the first vowel children blend. Hear every word, try the sentences, and play the game at the bottom.