Ending Blends Worksheets for 1st Grade: nd, nt, nk, mp, st, sk, ft, lt
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Prints on one US Letter page; the answer key is a separate page. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper. Free for personal and classroom use.
Skill: Reading and spelling words that end in common consonant blends
Teaching tips and what to try next
Best for first graders who already read short vowel words and know their Beginning Blends: bl, cl, fl, br, cr, tr, st, sp. Stretching each word slowly, like h-a-n-d, and tapping a finger for every sound helps children hear both consonants at the end. Children who mix up similar endings, such as nk and nt, often benefit from a few minutes with Digraphs: sh, ch and th to sharpen listening for final sounds.
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About this worksheet
An ending blend is two consonants at the end of a word that are each still heard, like the n and d in hand or the m and p in lamp. Children who can read short vowel words often drop the last sound of a blend when they spell, writing "han" for hand or "jup" for jump. First graders are expected to decode and spell words like these, and this first-grade phonics worksheet gives them focused practice.
The page has sixteen clues. Each clue describes a short word, such as a small lake where ducks swim or a jacket with no sleeves. Next to the clue, the start of the word is printed with a blank, like po___, and children write the ending blend that finishes it. There are two words for each of eight blends: nd, nt, nk, mp, st, sk, ft and lt. The blends are mixed on the page, so children have to listen to each word instead of following a pattern.
How to use it: read the clue together and have your child say the answer word slowly, stretching each sound. Ask what two sounds they hear at the end, then which letters make them. Tapping one finger for each sound helps children notice both consonants. If a blend is hard, say two words that end with it, such as lamp and jump, and listen for the shared sound.
The answer key gives each blend and the whole word in red. For blends at the start of words, try our Beginning Blends worksheet. For two letters that make one sound, try our Digraphs: sh, ch and th worksheet.