Year 1 English: Real words and alien words
Part of the Year 1 English phonics check practice chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Real words and alien words
A real word has a meaning that people know. Pig is an animal. Cup is something we drink from.
An alien word is made up. It has no meaning. Vop is an alien word. You can still read it, because it follows the same spelling rules as real words.
Alien words follow English spelling rules. Three of the rules are:
- ck comes at the end of a word after a short vowel, as in sock.
- ff, ll, ss and zz can end a word after a short vowel, as in puff, bell, grass and buzz.
- Most English words do not end with v or j.
Key ideas
- A real word has a meaning.
- An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
- Read real words and alien words in the same way: sound them out.
- ck comes at the end of a word after a short vowel, as in sock.
- Most English words do not end with v or j.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Say the word and think what it means. A real word is a word that people know and use.bed: a thing we sleep in
- Decide if it has a meaning. A word with a meaning that we know is a real word.It has a meaning, so it is real.
- Write the answer. real
Check. Read it again. bed is a word we use. ✓
Watch out. A word can be short and still be real. Think about what it means.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Read the word by sounding it out. Say each sound, then push the sounds together.f - e - p
- Think about its meaning. An alien word is made up. It has no meaning in English.fep: no meaning
- Write the answer. alien
Check. Read it again. fep is not a word we know, so it is an alien word. ✓
Watch out. Do not look for a meaning in an alien word. Read the letters, one sound at a time.
Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.
Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to read the word.
- Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.f
- Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.f - e - p
- Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.fep
- Write the answer. fep
Check. Split the word back into sounds: f, e, p. ✓ This is a made-up word, so there is no meaning to think about. Read the sounds.
Watch out. Say each letter as its own sound.
Watch out
Watch out: the length of a word does not decide if it is real. Pig is real and vop is alien, but both have three letters.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Do not tell your child what an alien word means. Say: “This is a made-up word, so let’s read the letters.” Praise the sounding out, even if the word is not quite right.
Exercise 12B Real words and alien words
Method. Think about which word has a meaning.
- Look at hat. A hat is something you wear on your head.hat: something to wear
- Look at jid. Jid has no meaning, so it is made up.jid: no meaning
- Look at cup. A cup is something to drink from.cup: something to drink from
- Write the answer. jid
Check. hat and cup have meanings. jid does not. ✓
Watch out. Look for the word with no meaning. Read each one first.
Method. Think about which word has a meaning.
- Look at vop. Vop has no meaning, so it is made up.vop: no meaning
- Look at pig. A pig is an animal that lives on a farm.pig: an animal
- Write the answer. pig
Check. pig has a meaning, so it is real. ✓
Watch out. The real word is the one that names something you know.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Say the word and think what it means. A real word is a word that people know and use.bed: a thing we sleep in
- Decide if it has a meaning. A word with a meaning that we know is a real word.It has a meaning, so it is real.
- Write the answer. real
Check. Read it again. bed is a word we use. ✓
Watch out. A word can be short and still be real. Think about what it means.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Read the word by sounding it out. Say each sound, then push the sounds together.f - e - p
- Think about its meaning. An alien word is made up. It has no meaning in English.fep: no meaning
- Write the answer. alien
Check. Read it again. fep is not a word we know, so it is an alien word. ✓
Watch out. Do not look for a meaning in an alien word. Read the letters, one sound at a time.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Say the word and think what it means. A real word is a word that people know and use.rug: a small carpet
- Decide if it has a meaning. A word with a meaning that we know is a real word.It has a meaning, so it is real.
- Write the answer. real
Check. Read it again. rug is a word we use. ✓
Watch out. A word can be short and still be real. Think about what it means.
Key words. A real word has a meaning. An alien word is made up and has no meaning.
Method. Read the word, then decide: does it have a meaning?
- Read the word by sounding it out. Say each sound, then push the sounds together.z - i - b
- Think about its meaning. An alien word is made up. It has no meaning in English.zib: no meaning
- Write the answer. alien
Check. Read it again. zib is not a word we know, so it is an alien word. ✓
Watch out. Do not look for a meaning in an alien word. Read the letters, one sound at a time.
Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.
Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.
- Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.w - u - m
- Put the letters for each sound in a box. Each letter makes its own sound, so each letter has its own box.w | u | m
- Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.3 sounds
- Write the answer. w, u, m
Check. Push the boxes together again: w + u + m makes wum. ✓
Watch out. Each letter in this word has its own box.
Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.
Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to read the word.
- Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.v
- Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.v - o - p
- Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.vop
- Write the answer. vop
Check. Split the word back into sounds: v, o, p. ✓ This is a made-up word, so there is no meaning to think about. Read the sounds.
Watch out. Say each letter as its own sound.
Method. Look at each rule, then check which one is true for ck.
- Look at a). ck is not always at the start of a word.a) is not true
- Look at b). ck comes at the end of a word after a short vowel, like sock.b) is true
- Look at c). ck is two letters that make one sound, so a vowel does not split it.c) is not true
- Write the answer. b
Check. sock and tack both end with ck after a short vowel. ✓
Watch out. ck is always two letters together, and it is at the end of a word.
Method. Think about what makes a word real.
- Look at what Sam said. Sam counted the letters.zib: 3 letters
- Think about the meaning. A real word has a meaning that people know.zib has no meaning
- Write the answer. Counting letters does not decide it.No. Zib is an alien word.
Check. Read zib by sounding it out: z - i - b. It is made up. ✓
Watch out. The number of letters does not make a word real.
Method. Think about how a child reads a word they have never seen.
- Think about a new word. A child who has never seen a word can only sound it out.sound it out
- Think about the rules. If the spelling follows the rules, the sounds give the right way to read it.rules give the sounds
- Write the answer. So the child can read them by sounding them out.
Check. An alien word that breaks the rules would be hard to read. ✓
Watch out. The rules are what makes a made-up word readable.
Method. Find the real words, then find the alien words.
- Look at pit. Pit is a hole in the ground, so it is real.pit: real
- Look at tap. A tap is a thing that water comes out of, so it is real.tap: real
- Look at jid and fep. They have no meaning, so they are alien.jid, fep: alien
- Write the two lists. Real: pit, tap. Alien: jid, fep.
Check. Pit and tap have meanings. Jid and fep do not. ✓
Watch out. Think about the meaning of each word. Do not sort by length.
Method. Check which spelling follows the rule for ff.
- Look at the sound at the end. The end sound is f, after a short vowel i.wiff: i then ff
- Check the rule. After a short vowel, the end sound f is written ff.ff after a short vowel
- Write the answer. wiff
Check. wiff follows the rule: a short vowel, then ff at the end. ✓
Watch out. Look at the vowel before the end sound.