Tricky Y Words Flashcards

Front

yarn

Back

• Etymology: From Old English garn (thread).

• Syllables: 1 (yarn).

• Spelling Pattern: “ar” makes the /ar/ sound.

• Notes on Y: Y at the beginning makes the /y/ sound (consonant).

• Sentence: I used soft yarn to knit a scarf.

Front

yellow

yel 🌼 low

Back

• Etymology: From Old English geolu (color).

• Syllables: 2 (yel-low).

• Spelling Pattern: “ow” at the end makes the long /o/ sound.

• Notes on Y: Y at the start makes the /y/ sound.

• Sentence: The sunflowers are bright yellow.

Front

yummy

yum 😋 my

Back

• Etymology: From “yum,” a sound showing something tastes good.

• Syllables: 2 (yum-my).

• Spelling Pattern: Double consonant + “y” ending = adjective.

• Notes on Y: Y at the end = long /e/ sound.

• Sentence: The cookies are yummy!

Front

youth

Back

• Etymology: From Old English geoguð (young person).

• Syllables: 1 (youth).

• Spelling Pattern: “ou” = /oo/ sound.

• Notes on Y: Y at the start = /y/ consonant.

• Sentence: The youth played soccer in the park.

Front

myth

Back

• Etymology: From Greek mythos (story).

• Syllables: 1 (myth).

• Spelling Pattern: “th” digraph = /th/.

• Notes on Y: Y in the middle makes short /i/.

• Sentence: A myth is an old story people used to believe.

Front

symbol

sym ➡️ bol

Back

• Etymology: From Greek symbolon (sign).

• Syllables: 2 (sym-bol).

• Spelling Pattern: Consonant + “ol” ending.

• Notes on Y: Y = short /i/ vowel.

• Sentence: A heart is a symbol of love.

Front

system

sys 👩🏽‍⚖️ tem

Back

• Etymology: From Greek systēma (organized whole).

• Syllables: 2 (sys-tem).

• Spelling Pattern: “em” ending.

• Notes on Y: Y = short /i/ vowel.

• Sentence: The school has a system for lunch time.

Front

antonym

an 🐜 to 🐜 nym

Back

• Etymology: From Greek anti (against) + onym (name).

• Syllables: 3 (an-to-nym).

• Spelling Pattern: Prefix + root word.

• Notes on Y: Y = short /i/ vowel.

• Sentence: Hot is an antonym of cold.

Front

gym

Back

• Etymology: From Greek gymnasion (place to exercise).

• Syllables: 1 (gym).

• Spelling Pattern: Short form of “gymnasium.”

• Notes on Y: Y = short /i/ vowel.

• Sentence: We run in the gym for P.E. class.

Front

cry

Back

• Etymology: From Old French crier (to call out).

• Syllables: 1 (cry).

• Spelling Pattern: Ends in “y” that changes to “i” before adding -ed.

• Notes on Y: Y = long /i/ vowel.

• Sentence: The baby will cry when he is hungry.