Words Ending in -ED Phonics Sorting Activity

In my 12+ years of homeschooling, I have found that you can’t practice phonics, grammar, Latin, or math facts too often.  Add some extra phonics practice to your child’s lessons this week with the phonics sorting activity!

ETA April 2022: Note that this post was originally published in May 2013.  I have updated it with fresh fonts and an updated layout. Please re-download it and use with your children!

➡ Browse through a variety of phonics worksheets and printable activities here at Mama’s Learning Corner.  You can also browse through only the Phonics and Grammar Sorting Activities and find similar activities to the one featured in this post.

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I left the original post from 2013 mostly intact:

This past week in spelling, my son and I studied the vowel suffix -ED.  We are currently in All About Spelling Level 3, which introduces the three different sounds that the suffix ED makes when added to a base word.

One of the activities was to sort various words that ended in the -ED suffix, but I lost the sheet with the listed suffixes. Ack!  I’m sure it’s somewhere in the depths of our school room shelf, but after searching for over 20 minutes, I had to change plans.

Instead of using the provided -ED sorting activity, which I’m sure is as fabulous as everything else All About Learning creates, I had to make my own -ED sort at the last minute.

If you aren’t using a specific curriculum and need a little help explaining the -ED suffix to your children, this is very helpful:

-ED is a suffix added to verbs to show past action.  The E is unusually silent.  It is sounded only after D and T, where a vowel sound is needed to help the listener realize that the suffix is in use.

Otherwise, the D is voiced if the ED follows a vowel or a voiced consonant.  But if it follows an unvoiced consonant, the D loses its normal voicing, and sounds like T.

— The ABC’s and All Their Tricks, page 117

➡ Click here to take a look at the resources I use to teach spelling in our homeschool.

The -ED Suffix Sorting Activity

My first and third children are especially fond of sorting activities.  My 8-year-old is a fan of most any activity where he isn’t required to write, and this -ED sort was no exception!

In this activity, the columns are divided into the three sounds that the vowel suffix -ED makes: /ed/, /d/, and /t/.

After your child cuts out each of the words, have him glue or tape the words in the appropriate column.

Note that there are 64 words, so obviously this activity is not meant to do in one sitting!  Work on a dozen or so words each day until the activity is completed.

All Access Pass members can download this sorting packet, along with 400+ other free and paid worksheet packets, in the All Access Pass area.

After you log in, choose the Phonics and Reading page and scroll down until you see this particular worksheet packet.  Then just click and your download will start immediately.

You can download The -ED Suffix Sorting Activity here:

Lauren Hill

Lauren Hill is a Christian mom to 5, ages 19 to 7. She homeschools her children in the classical education tradition and is currently in her 15th year of homeschool. She creates engaging worksheets and hands-on printable activities for Preschool and Elementary age children to supplement their daily studies.

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