© 2022 University of Florida Literacy Institute
Printable Cards for Irregular “Heart” Words
An irregular word is one that cannot be readily decoded because either
o it includes grapheme-phoneme correspondences that are unique to that
word or a few words (permanently irregular words), or
o the student has not yet learned all the grapheme-phoneme
correspondences in the word (temporarily irregular words).
Contrary to popular belief, students should not be taught to memorize irregular
words by sight. In most irregular words, only one or two letters do not conform to their usual sound
correspondence. This means that
most
irregular words are at least partially decodable. Rather than relying
on visual memorization, instruction in irregular words should promote students’ orthographic mapping.
This means that the focus should be on connecting the letters in the word to the sounds they represent,
even if the correspondence is an unusual one.
To teach new irregular words, you should guide your students in
identifying the irregular part of the word—the letter or letters that don’t
follow regular phonetic rules. These are the parts of irregular words that
must be learned “by heart.”
On the cards in this set, the irregular parts are designated with a heart
shape. Point out the irregular part(s) and discuss the unexpected
grapheme-phoneme correspondences with your students. The purpose
of this process is to support the student’s orthographic mapping of the word.
Present each word initially with the symbols (i.e., hearts and boxes) covered up. Begin by showing the
students the word and saying the word aloud. The students repeat the word, and then you and the
students find the irregular part together by matching the phonemes in the word with the graphemes and
identifying any irregular grapheme-phoneme correspondence(s). Also, point out any chunks of words that
may be helpful in identifying other words (e.g., the -ould in could, would, and should). Once the irregular
part(s) of the word and any useful chunks have been identified, the students should practice reading and
spelling the word using the following steps:
1. Students say the sounds in the word together with you, including the sound that is represented by
an irregular grapheme, and then blend the sounds together to form the word.
2. Students say the sounds in the word on their own, including the sound that is represented by an
irregular grapheme, and then blend the sounds together to form the word.
3. Students write the word while saying each sound. Repeat writing the word while saying the sounds
2-4 more times. Using varied practice (e.g., write it big, small, fast, slow) can make this activity more
engaging.
If you are using these cards to accompany UFLI Foundations lessons, please note that only permanently
irregular words are included, and the symbols on each card align with permanent irregularities in the word.
For example, in Lesson 1, “the” is taught as an irregular word, and because students have not yet learned
the graphemes, both “th” and “e” are marked with a heart in the lesson slides. In later lessons, the “th”
grapheme is taught, so that part of the word becomes regular at that point. Therefore, on the card in this
set, only the “e” in “the” is marked with a heart because it is the only part of the word that is permanently
irregular.
