Reading starts when a child stops guessing a word from its first letter and looks at all of it. "Cat", "cap", and "can" begin the same way; only the last letter tells them apart. These worksheets put that kind of choice on the page: a picture the child already knows, and three words to read.

Every box shows one picture and three words underneath. The child names the picture, reads each word, and circles the one that matches. The two other words are real, everyday words chosen to look like the answer. Short words differ by only a letter or two — dog, dot, and dig — so the child has to read to the end. Longer words get look-alikes too, like turtle, turkey, and turnip, or xylophone and saxophone. Words are printed in a typeface made for beginning readers, with the "a" and "g" the way children learn to write them.

"Short" keeps to three- and four-letter words like cat, sun, and frog — the right place to start. "Long" moves on to words like turtle and umbrella, and "All words" mixes both. Click any question to swap its picture, lock the ones you like, and pressNew sheet for the rest. The answer key prints on a second page only when you ask for it. Nothing to sign up for.

12 ready-to-print sheets

• Read and circle · Short words · 4 questions
• Read and circle · Short words · 6 questions
• Read and circle · Short words · 9 questions
• Read and circle · Short words · 6 questions · set 2
• Read and circle · Short words · 9 questions · set 2
• Read and circle · Long words · 4 questions
• Read and circle · Long words · 6 questions
• Read and circle · Long words · 9 questions
• Read and circle · Long words · 6 questions · set 2
• Read and circle · All words · 6 questions
• Read and circle · All words · 9 questions
• Read and circle · All words · 6 questions · set 2