The et word family: -et words list
Jet, net, pet, vet and wet all end in -et, the first short e family most children learn. Hear every word, from sunset to rocket, read the sentences and play the game.
Et family words list (30 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
CVC -et words
-et words with a blend
Longer words where -et is clear
Longer words where -et sounds weak
Et 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.
Et 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 et word family?
The et word family is the group of words that end in the rime -et, the short e sound followed by t, as in get, jet, net, pet and wet. Children read them by blending the first sound onto -et: j + et, jet. The family continues into longer words: in forget, sunset and alphabet the -et keeps its clear short e, while in pocket, rocket and basket it is unstressed and sounds weaker.
- The rime -et is short e /e/ followed by /t/, as in jet.
- Common three-letter -et words: get, jet, let, met, net, pet, set, vet, wet and yet.
- Short e is often taught last of the five short vowels because it is close to short a and short i.
- In two-syllable words like pocket and rocket, -et is unstressed and often sounds like -it.
About et family words
The -et rime is short e, the sound at the start of egg, followed by /t/. Short e sits between short a and short i in the mouth, which is why it is the vowel children confuse most often. Say it on its own several times, /e/, /e/, egg, and let your child see that the mouth is half open, wider than for i and narrower than for a.
There are ten common three-letter -et words, so the CVC group gives lots of practice, and get, let, yet and set are useful everyday words. There are very few one-syllable blend words ending in -et; fret is the clearest example. The family grows instead through longer words, which fall into two groups on this page.
In the first group, forget, upset, sunset and alphabet, the -et is in a stressed or strong syllable and sounds just like jet. In the second group, pocket, rocket, jacket, basket and planet, the stress is on the first syllable and the -et at the end becomes weak, closer to -it. The spelling is the same in both. Children can read -et as they learned it, then adjust to how the word is normally said.
Et 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 pet is wet.
- Get the net and the jet.
- Let the vet see the pet.
- I met a puppet in a red jacket.
- Put the magnet in the pocket.
- Do not forget the ticket!
- The rocket is set to go to the planet.
- We sat in the sunset with a basket of figs.
Common mix-ups with et family words
-et and -it (set and sit)
Short e and short i are neighbors. Read set/sit, pet/pit and bet/bit slowly and ask your child which vowel they hear. For some American speakers the two are especially close before n, less so before t.
-et and -at (pet and pat)
Short e and short a can also sound alike. Watching the mouth helps: a opens wide, e only halfway. Read the pair, then have your child say both while looking in a mirror.
Pocket said as pock-ET
Children who read every syllable with a full vowel may say pock-et with a strong e. That is a fine first step in decoding; then model the word as it is naturally said, with the stress on the first part.
Et family words activities
Net the fish
Write -et and -it words on paper fish with a paper clip on each. Your child uses a magnet on a string to catch a fish and reads it; -et fish go in the net, -it fish go back in the sea.
Jet runway
Tape a long runway on the floor with -et words along it. Your child flies a toy jet down the runway and reads each word as the jet passes over it.
Mirror vowels
In front of a mirror, say a, e and i one after another and watch how the mouth changes. Then read pat, pet and pit, checking the mirror for the e shape.
Two-part words
Write rocket, pocket, basket and sunset on cards and cut between the syllables. Your child reads each half, joins them, and reads the word naturally.
Et family words: frequently asked questions
What words are in the et word family?
The three-letter ones are get, jet, let, met, net, pet, set, vet, wet and yet. Longer words include forget, upset, sunset, alphabet, pocket, rocket, jacket, basket and planet.
Why is short e hard for children?
Short e sits between short a and short i in the mouth, so the three are easy to confuse, especially in some accents. That is why many programmes leave short e families until the other vowels feel secure.
Is pocket in the et family?
It is spelled with -et at the end, so it belongs to the family by spelling. In speech the -et is unstressed and sounds weaker, which is why it is in its own group on this page.
What family goes with -et?
The -en family is the other short e family on this site. Mixing -et with -it words is also a good test of whether your child can hear short e.
Practise next
- En family wordsDen, hen, men, pen and ten all end in -en, and so do then and when. Hear every word, from wren to kitten and seven, 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.
- 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 e wordsShort e is the sound in bed, hen and wet. It is the vowel children mix up most, so this list keeps every word simple: three letters, three sounds. Listen, read the sentences, then play the game.