listbeeMore vowel sounds
OO words
The vowel team oo makes two sounds: the long sound in moon and the short sound in book. The spelling is the same, so sorting by sound helps reading more than spelling.
- Sound
- /oo/ as in moon and /oo/ as in book
- Usually taught
- 1st–2nd grade
- Words on this page
- 24 in 2 lists
OO words: word lists
Practice a list online (each word is read aloud), or open it in the worksheet maker to print a test, word search, or look-cover-write-check sheet.
oo as in moon
12 words- moon
- soon
- food
- pool
- room
- zoo
- boot
- tooth
- spoon
- broom
- school
- noon
oo as in book
12 words- book
- look
- cook
- took
- good
- wood
- foot
- hook
- wool
- stood
- shook
- brook
How the pattern works
Both sounds are spelled oo, so once a child hears either sound in the middle of a short word, oo is a good first guess.
Some words vary by accent (room, roof). Use the sound your family uses.
School has a surprise: the ch says /k/.
Common mistakes
- Writing u for the short sound: “buk,” “gud.”
- Writing ew or ue in the middle of a word: “mewn.” Those teams usually go at the end.
- Writing “skool” for school.
Practice ideas
- Sort by sound: moon words and book words.
- Make rhyming chains: book, look, cook, took, hook, shook.
Practicing a list from school?
Paste your child’s exact words to make listening practice and printables in seconds.