Pet - animals

pet

/pet/ UK /pet/ · US /pet/

A short e CVC word (ɛ) in the animals category. It belongs to the -et word family.

animals

Hear pet

Tap a sound to hear it on its own, or play the whole word below.

How to Say “pet”

p
/p/
e
/e/
t
/t/

Blend the three sounds together slowly, then speed up: /p/ – /e/ – /t/ → pet.

Example Sentences with Pet

How to Spell “pet”

Children most often write this word as peat, ept, pett, peet. Those errors are useful — each one points to a specific sound the child has not yet connected to a letter.

  1. Start with the picture: <strong>pet</strong> begins with the /p/ sound, so begin with "p".
  2. Say the word slowly three times, then write one sound per letter: <strong>p - e - t</strong>.
  3. The "e" in <strong>pet</strong> says /ɛ/ with the jaw slightly open, like <em>bed</em>.
  4. Blend the last two sounds smoothly: <strong>pe</strong> + <strong>t</strong> = <strong>pet</strong>.

Phonics Tip for Pet

"pet" and "get" and "jet" share the ending /et/. Say them back to back so the child hears that only the first sound changes. That is the core of the -et family.

Try it now: play the CVC flash cards and hunt for pet, or test recognition in the multiple choice quiz.

Fun Facts About Pet

Every letter in <strong>pet</strong> carries one sound: p says /p/, e says /e/, t says /t/. That is what makes it fully decodable — a child who knows the three sounds can read <strong>pet</strong> on the first try, with no guessing from the picture. It belongs to the -et family, which has 6 other words in it: get, jet, let, met, net, set.

More Words in the -et Family

Words that rhyme with pet and end with the same sounds:

See the full -et word family →

Related CVC Words

More words with the short e sound that have their own picture guide:

Other Word Families

Move between families:

Where to Practise Pet