The at word family: -at words list
The -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.
At family words list (25 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
CVC -at words
-at words with blends and digraphs
Longer words ending in -at
At 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.
At 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 at word family?
The at word family is the group of words that end in the rime -at, the short a sound followed by t, as in cat, hat and mat. Children read them by blending the first sound onto -at: c + at, h + at. The family also includes words with two-letter starts such as flat and chat, and longer words such as wombat and acrobat that end in the same chunk.
- The rime -at is the short a sound /a/ followed by /t/, as in cat.
- There are eight common three-letter -at words: bat, cat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat and vat.
- Adding a silent e changes the family: hat becomes hate and mat becomes mate.
- The word at itself is one of the first high-frequency words children meet in books.
About at family words
The -at rime is two sounds: the short a in apple and a crisp /t/ at the end. Because at is also a word on its own, children often already recognise it from early books, which makes -at a friendly first family. Start by reading at, then put one letter in front of it: b-at, bat; c-at, cat. The only thing that changes is the first sound.
Begin with the eight three-letter words, since each letter stands for one sound. The second group adds two-letter starts. Some are blends, where both sounds are heard (fl in flat, sp in spat), and some are digraphs, where two letters make one sound (th in that, ch in chat). Gnat has a silent g, so save it for a child who is confident with the rest. The last group shows that -at keeps its sound at the end of longer words like wombat and acrobat.
The most useful contrast for this family is the silent e: hat and hate, mat and mate, rat and rate. Once your child reads -at words easily, show a pair side by side and point out that the e at the end changes the vowel to its long sound. It is a quick way to check they are looking at the whole word and not just the first letter.
At 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 cat sat on the mat.
- A bat is in that hat.
- The rat ran to the flat mat.
- Pat the cat on the back.
- A bobcat sat and had a nap.
- The acrobat has a red hat.
- Splat! The gnat fell in the vat.
- Is that a wombat or a cat?
Common mix-ups with at family words
-at and -ate (hat and hate)
A silent e at the end turns short a into long a. If your child reads hate as hat, cover the e and uncover it again, and ask what changed. Reading pairs such as mat/mate and rat/rate side by side makes the difference visible.
Th and t (that and tat)
In that, the letters t and h make one new sound. Children sometimes say each letter separately. Point to th, say the sound with your tongue between your teeth, and underline it before reading the word.
-at and -ot (cat and cot)
When a child is guessing from the first letter, cat and cot can sound alike to them. Put the two words next to each other, run a finger under the vowel, and ask which one says /a/.
At family words activities
At flip book
Write -at on the right side of a card strip. Staple small squares with b, c, h, m, p, r, s and v on the left so they flip over. Your child flips a letter, says its sound, says -at, and blends the word aloud.
Hat toss
Write -at words on paper plates and spread them on the floor. Your child tosses a beanbag or soft hat onto a plate and reads the word it lands on. Standing and moving keeps short sessions lively.
Tap the chunks
Say a word such as flat. Your child taps a shoulder for the start (fl) and an elbow for the rime (-at), then slides a hand down the arm while saying the whole word. It makes the onset and rime split physical.
Silent e magic
Write hat, mat and rat on a whiteboard. Read each one, then add an e on a sticky note and read the new word. Take the note away again. Your child sees and hears the vowel change back and forth.
At family words: frequently asked questions
What words are in the at word family?
The three-letter ones are bat, cat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat and vat. With two-letter starts you get that, chat, flat, spat, scat, slat and splat, and longer words include wombat, bobcat, copycat, doormat and acrobat.
Why is -at taught as the first word family?
Short a is one of the easiest vowels to hear, t is a crisp final sound, and at is already a word many children know. That means a beginner only has to add one new sound to read a new word.
Is 'at' a sight word?
At appears on high-frequency word lists because it is so common in books, but it is fully decodable: /a/ + /t/. Children can sound it out rather than memorising it as a whole shape.
What comes after the at family?
Other short a families such as -an, -ap and -ag, then short i families like -it and -ig. Mixing -at with a short i family is a good test of whether your child is reading the vowel.
Practise next
- An family wordsCan, fan, man and van all end in -an. It is one of the most common word families in early books. Listen to each word, read the sentences 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.
- It family wordsBit, fit, kit, pit and sit all end in -it. Listen to each word, from the three-letter ones to split, rabbit and orbit, read the sentences, and play 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.