The in word family: -in words list
Bin, fin, pin, tin and win all end in -in, and so does in itself. Hear every word, from chin and spin to pumpkin and violin, then play the game.
In family words list (25 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
CVC -in words
-in words with blends and digraphs
Longer words ending in -in
In 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.
In 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 in word family?
The in word family is the group of words that end in the rime -in, the short i sound followed by n, as in bin, fin, pin, tin and win. Children read them by blending the first sound onto -in: w + in, win. The family includes digraph and blend words such as chin, thin, skin and spin, and longer words such as begin, cabin, pumpkin and violin.
- The rime -in is short i /i/ followed by /n/, as in pin.
- In is itself a very common word, so many children already know the rime.
- In parts of the southern United States, pin and pen are pronounced the same.
- In longer words such as cabin and muffin, the -in is unstressed and can sound weaker.
About in family words
The -in rime joins short i to /n/, a sound children can hum. Because n is continuous, the whole chunk can be stretched, iiin, which makes blending easy: fff-iiin, fin. The word in is one of the most common in children's books, so the rime is often familiar before the family is taught.
The second group is full of digraphs as well as blends. Chin, shin and thin each start with two letters that make one sound, while grin, skin, spin and twin start with two sounds blended together. Reading chin next to shin is a good check that your child is noticing the second letter of the digraph.
The longer words split into two groups by sound. In begin, within and violin the -in is stressed and sounds just like pin. In cabin, robin, muffin, napkin and pumpkin the -in comes in the unstressed final syllable, and in everyday American speech it often weakens toward a softer sound. The spelling is the same, so children can read it as -in and then say the word the natural way.
In 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 pin is in the tin.
- Win the bin with a grin.
- A fin is on the dolphin.
- The twin has a thin chin.
- Can you spin in the cabin?
- A robin sat on the pumpkin.
- Put the muffin on the napkin.
- Let us begin the violin.
Common mix-ups with in family words
-in and -en (pin and pen)
In some American accents, especially in the South, pin and pen sound identical. That is fine in speech, but for spelling it helps to say the vowel clearly when practising: p-iii-n versus p-eee-n.
Chin and shin
Ch and sh are two different digraphs. Ch is a short burst, like a sneeze; sh is a long quiet sound, like asking for silence. Put a finger to the lips for sh to make the difference physical.
-in and -ing (win and wing)
Once children meet -ing, they may add a g sound to -in words or drop it from -ing words. Read win/wing and thin/thing side by side and listen for the extra sound at the back of the throat.
In family words activities
Spin to win
Make a paper spinner with first sounds b, f, p, t, w, ch, sh and th around the edge and -in in the middle. Your child spins, reads the new word, and keeps a tally of real words.
Tin of words
Fill a clean tin with -in word cards. Your child takes one out, reads it, and puts it in a second tin. Time how long it takes to empty, and try to beat the time on another day.
Chin tap
Say an -in word, and your child taps their chin once per sound: sh, i, n. Digraph words get fewer taps than letters, which shows that two letters can make one sound.
Syllable split
Write pumpkin, napkin and muffin on cards and cut each between the syllables. Your child reads each half, then pushes them together and reads the whole word.
In family words: frequently asked questions
What words are in the in word family?
The three-letter ones include bin, din, fin, kin, pin, tin and win. With blends and digraphs you get chin, grin, shin, skin, spin, thin and twin, and longer words include begin, cabin, pumpkin, dolphin and violin.
Is 'in' a sight word?
In is on high-frequency word lists, but it can be sounded out: /i/ /n/. Treating it as part of the -in family helps children see that it follows the same pattern as pin and win.
Why do my child and I say pin and pen the same way?
The pin-pen merger is normal in several American accents. It does not cause reading problems, but for spelling practice it helps to exaggerate the vowel so the two sounds are clear.
What is the difference between -in and -ing?
In -ing, the n and g together make one sound at the back of the mouth, as in sing. It is usually taught as its own chunk after the -in family is secure.
Practise next
- 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.
- Ip family wordsDip, hip, lip, sip, tip and zip all end in -ip, and so do ship, trip and spaceship. It is one of the biggest short i families. Hear the words and play the game.
- 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.
- 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.