Learn to Spell: -ir words

Ages 6–8 · 6 minutes · English

Practice spelling -ir words like shirt, circus and birthday!

Students can build their beginner spelling skills by practicing spelling words with the -ir pattern such as shirt, girl, bird, third, circus, twirl, circle and birthday.

Prior experience with basic or intermediate spelling is recommended.

Part of

Learn to Spell 3

Standards alignment

Common Core State Standards

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Alabama

ELA21.1.31g — With prompting and support, encode words with vowel-_r_ combinations _ar, or, er, ir,_ and _ur._
ELA21.2.38h — Encode words with vowel-_r_ combinations.
ELA21.2.10f — Decode and encode words with vowel-_r_ combinations.
ELA21.1.7g — Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words with vowel-_r_ syllables, including _ar, er, ir, or,_ and _ur._

Arizona

1.WF.3.a.5 — Vowel-r combinations, including er, ar, or (e.g., car, her, stir, for, burn).
2.WF.3.a.4 — Vowel-r combinations (e.g., turn, star, third, four, for).
2.WF.3 — Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words.
2.WF.3.a — Spell on-level, regular, single-syllable words that include:

Arkansas

2.FR.10.PE — Encode one-syllable words with less predictable vowel-r patterns (e.g., girl, burn, world).
3.FR.7.PE — Encode two-syllable words with vowel-r patterns (e.g., forget, doctor, cartoon, mustard).

California

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.K.3.d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Colorado

RWC20-GR.1-S.3-GLE.4-EO.b.v — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
RWC20-GR.2-S.3-GLE.4-EO.b.iv — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (for example: cage → badge; boy → boil).
RWC20-GR.2-S.2-GLE.3-EO.a.vi — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Connecticut

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Delaware

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Florida

ELA.1.F.1.3 — Use knowledge of grade-appropriate phonics and word-analysis skills to decode words accurately. • Decode words using knowledge of spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs, trigraphs, and blends. • Decode simple words with r-controlled vowels. • Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words. • Decode words with inflectional endings. • Decode two-syllable words with regular patterns by breaking the words into syllables. • Decode words that use final –e and vowel teams to make long-vowel sound.
ELA.1.C.3.1 — Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

Georgia

ELAGSE1L2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
ELAGSE2L2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
ELAGSE2RF3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
ELAGSEKRF3.c — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Hawaii

1.L.2d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
2.L.2d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
2.RF.3e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Idaho

1.FR.PH.3e — Learn all the r-controlled vowel patterns (-ar, -er, -ir, -or, -ur) and recognize how they change short vowel recognition and pronunciation
1.GC.M.3a — Use conventional spelling for words with common, taught spelling patterns and frequently occurring irregular words.
1.GC.M.3 — Use knowledge of spelling in writing.
2.GC.M.3a — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).

Illinois

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.1.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Indiana

1.W.8 — Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, focusing on: a. Capitalization – Capitalizing the first word of a sentence, dates, names of people, and the pronoun I. b. Punctuation – I. Correctly using a period, question mark, and exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. II. Using commas in dates and to separate items in a series. c. Encoding – I. Spelling unknown words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. II. Correctly spelling words with common spelling patterns. III. Correctly spelling common irregularly-spelled, grade-appropriate words (e.g., said, does, gone). (E) Communication and Collaboration
2.W.8 — Demonstrate command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, focusing on: a. Capitalization – Capitalizing greetings, months and days of the week, titles and initials in names, and proper nouns, including holidays and geographic names. b. Punctuation – I. Correctly using a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. II. Using an apostrophe to form contractions and singular possessive nouns. III. Using commas in greetings and closings of letters, dates, and to separate items in a series. c. Encoding – I. Correctly spelling words with short and long vowel sounds, r-controlled vowels, and consonant-blend patterns. II. Generalizing learned spelling patterns (e.g., word families) when writing words. III. Correctly spelling common irregularly-spelled, grade-appropriate words (e.g., said, does, gone). (E) Communication and Collaboration
1.RF.5 — Use letter-sound knowledge of single consonants (hard and soft sounds), short and long vowels, consonant blends and digraphs, vowel teams (e.g., ai) and digraphs, and r-controlled vowels to decode phonetically regular words (e.g., cat, go, black, boat, her), independent of context. (E)

Iowa

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — With prompting and support, decode and encode words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Kansas

W.1.11.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently-occurring irregular words.
W.2.11.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words.
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences (e.g., -ay, -igh).

Kentucky

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize spelling patterns.
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Louisiana

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage→ badge; boy→ boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.2.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Maine

L.2.1.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
R.3.2.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Maryland

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.K.3.d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Massachusetts

L.1.2.e — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.e — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Michigan

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.K.3.d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Minnesota

1.2.1.2 — Accurately spell words in common word families and high-frequency words; use phonetic spelling for other words.
2.1.1.2.a — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words: know the spelling-sound correspondences for the common vowel graphemes.
2.2.1.2 — Apply spelling patterns and rules to spell words with consonant and vowel digraphs and diphthongs, six syllable types, and inflectional suffixes authentically in writing.

Mississippi

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.1.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Missouri

1.L.1.B.e — spell words using regular spelling patterns
1.L.1.B.f — spell words phonetically using phonemic awareness and spelling knowledge
2.RF.3.A.h — using common syllable patterns to decode words including r-controlled vowels
1.RF.3.A.e — combining sounds from letters and common spelling patterns to create and decode recognizable words

Montana

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.1.3.b — Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Nebraska

LA.1.F.3.b — Decode and encode simple words with r-controlled vowels
LA.1.F.3 — Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding (spelling) words.
LA.1.F.3.c — Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
LA.1.FW.2 — Demonstrate sound-letter concepts when writing.

New Hampshire

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.K.3.d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

New Jersey

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.d — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

New Mexico

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

New York

1L2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (See Notes for grade-band conventions.)
1RF3 — Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
2L2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of academic English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (See Notes for grade-band conventions.)
1RF3c — Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

North Carolina

L.1.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; demonstrate proficiency within the K-1 conventions continuum.
RF.1.4 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.2.4 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.2.4.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

North Dakota

2.F.9d — r-controlled
2.F.9 — Encode words with phoneme-grapheme correspondences:
1.F.8h — r-controlled

Ohio

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
RF.1.3.g — Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Oklahoma

2.2.SE.1 — Students will use correct spelling when writing the following sounds in words: a. digraphs b. trigraphs c. vowel digraphs d. r-controlled *sequential skills
2.2.SE.2 — Students will use correct spelling when writing the following syllable types in single-syllable and multisyllabic words: a. closed b. open c. vowel-consonant-silent e d. r-controlled *sequential skills
2.2.PWS.1 — Students will decode one- and two-syllable words by using their knowledge of the following phonics skills: a. single consonants, including those with two different sounds (e.g., soft and hard c [cent, cat] and g [gem, goat]) b. consonant blends (e.g., bl, br, cr, spr, spl) c. consonant digraphs and trigraphs (e.g., sh, tch) d. vowel-consonant-silent e (e.g., lake) e. r-controlled vowels (i.e., ar, er, ir or, ur) f. vowel digraphs (e.g., ea, oa, ee) g. vowel diphthongs (i.e., vowel combinations having two vowel sounds [e.g., oi as in boil, oy as in boy]) h. schwa (e.g., banana) i. silent letter combinations (knew, could, ghost) *sequential skills

Oregon

1.L.2d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
2.L.2d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words.
2.RF.3e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
K.RF.3d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Rhode Island

L.1.2.e — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.e — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

South Carolina

ELA.1.F.3.8 — Decode and encode words using: a. onset/rime; b. consonant blends (i.e., initial and final); c. consonant digraphs (i.e., ch, sh, th, wh, ph, ck); d. trigraphs (e.g., -tch, -dge)*; e. combination (i.e., qu); f. VCe; g. vowel r (e.g., ar, er, ir, or, ur); h. common inflectional endings that do not change the base word (e.g., -s, -ed); i. contractions with am, is, has, and not; j. hard and soft sounds of c and g (c=/k/ before a, o, u, or any consonant and c= /s/ before i, e, or y; g=/g/ before a, o, u, or any consonant and g=/j/ before i, e, or y) *; k. vowel y in the final position of one- and two-syllable words, distinguishing the difference between the long /ī/ sound in one-syllable words and the long /ē/ sound in two-syllable words, and words with vowel y in medial position, producing the short /ĭ/ sound (e.g., fly-my; baby-happy, myth-gym) *; l. words that follow the -ild, -ost, -old, -olt, and -ind patterns (e.g., mild, host, fold, jolt, kind); m. silent letter combinations (e.g., kn, wr, mb, gh, gn) *; n. words with final /f/, /l/, and /s/ sounds in one-syllable base words by doubling the final consonant when it follows a short vowel sound (e.g., cliff, hill, pass); and o. words with final /v/ sound, using knowledge that no English word ends with a v. (e.g. have, give, save).
ELA.1.F.3.4 — Identify the vowel and produce the vowel sound in a printed syllable or word to: a. decode regularly spelled one-syllable words (syllables include: closed, open, and vowel-consonant-e) including words with blends in initial and final position; b. decode regularly spelled one-syllable words with vowel-r syllables (i.e., ar, er, ir, or, and ur); and c. decode two-syllable words using knowledge of syllables (i.e., closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, vowel-r, common vowel teams, and consonant-le), including compound words that fit multiple syllable types. *

South Dakota

1.L.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
2.L.2.e — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
2.RF.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Tennessee

1.FL.WC.4.b — Use conventional spelling for one-syllable words with common vowel spelling patterns including CVCe, common vowel teams, final -y, and r-controlled vowels.
1.FL.PWR.3.c — Know the final –e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds, including r controlled vowels.
2.FL.WC.4.a — Use conventional spelling for one-syllable words including position-based patterns, complex consonant blends, less common vowel teams for long vowels, vowel-r combinations, contractions, homophones, plurals, and possessives.
1.FL.WC.4.d — Spell two-syllable words that end in -y or -ly, are compounds, or have two closed syllables.

Texas

1.2C.i — spelling words with closed syllables, open syllables, VCe syllables, vowel teams, and r-controlled syllables;
1.2C.iii — spelling words using sound-spelling patterns; and
1.2C — demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by:
2.2C.i — spelling one-syllable and multisyllabic words with closed syllables; open syllables; VCe syllables; vowel teams, including digraphs and diphthongs; r-controlled syllables; and final stable syllables;

Utah

1.R.3.b — With prompting and support, identify and begin reading and spelling words with all six syllable types (i.e., open, closed, CVCe, vowel team, vowel-r, consonant -le).
2.R.3.a — Identify and begin reading and spelling words with all six syllable types (i.e., open, closed, CVCe, vowel team, vowel-r, consonant -le) in multisyllabic words.

Vermont

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Virginia

2.FFR.3.B — Decode and encode words with vowel teams and r-controlled vowels.
2.FFW.2.A — Use phoneme-grapheme (sound/symbol correspondence to encode (spell) single-syllable words containing closed syllables (cvc, ccvc, cvcc, and ccvcc), open syllables (cv, ccv), vowel-consonant-e (cvce, ccvce), vowel teams, and r-controlled vowels.
1.FFW.2.C — Encode (spell) unfamiliar words by recognizing and applying taught word patterns.
2.LU.2.C — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words.
1.LU.2.C — Use conventional spelling of words with commonly taught spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

Washington

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Washington, D.C.

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

West Virginia

ELA.1.37.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
ELA.2.37.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage / badge; boy / boil).
ELA.2.II.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
ELA.K.II.d — Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Wisconsin

ELA.1.L.6.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and draw on phonological awareness and spelling conventions to spell other words phonetically. Related to Reading Foundational standards (RF.1.3).
ELA.1.RF.3.b — Decode and encode regularly spelled one-syllable words (e.g., cat, fox, bet, cup, fit, etc.).
ELA.2.L.6.d — Use common spelling patterns, phonemic awareness, and basic reference materials to solve words.
ELA.1.RF.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Wyoming

L.1.2.d — Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.
L.2.2.d — Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).
RF.2.3.e — Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.