ShortShort A word family
-ank Words
/æŋk/ — words that share the -ank pattern
The -ank family combines short A with /ŋk/. It is a strong teaching pattern because words such as bank, tank, sank, and blank are common, vivid, and easy to connect to action or pictures. It also helps learners handle the important sound change where the letter n is pronounced as /ŋ/ before final k.
How the -ank family works
Keep the ending -ank together, then add or change the beginning sound. Read through the whole word from left to right instead of guessing from its first letter.
16 reviewed examples
-ank word list
Begin with the shorter words. Add the second group only after blends and digraphs in those words have been taught.
Start here
After blends or digraphs
A speaker appears only where a reviewed recording is currently available. Every listed spelling has still been checked for the target pattern.
Teach the right examples first
Why this -ank pattern is useful
Teach the nasal sound change
Before final k, the spelling n is heard as /ŋ/. Learners do better when they hear bank as one smooth ending rather than trying to say /n/ and /k/ separately.
Start with bank, tank, and sank
These common words are easier first examples than prank or shrank because they are shorter, more familiar, and simpler to use in oral practice.
Use the family for meaning-rich sentences
Blank, plank, drank, and prank help this family move beyond isolated sound work into sentences that feel more natural and memorable.
Add blends after the core is solid
Words such as blank, crank, flank, and prank still belong to the same family, but they ask the learner to manage more consonants at the beginning.
Keep search-driven content teachable
A page about ank words becomes more authoritative when it chooses regular reading words instead of drifting toward rare or mechanical list filler.
Listening check
Listen and choose the -ank word
Question 1 of 5
Now read the same words aloud and use one in a sentence.
Explore another familyMove into connected text
Read -ank words in sentences
1Hank ran to the bank.
2The boat sank by the plank.
3Fill in the blank.
4The tank is on the flank.
5She drank from the cup.
6The prank made Frank laugh.
7The crank is by the tank.
Ask the learner to underline the -ank word, decode it, and then reread the complete sentence naturally.
Spelling and pronunciation
Keep this family accurate
Do not pronounce a separate /n/ followed by /k/. The back of the tongue stays raised for the smooth sequence /ŋk/. This family is especially useful once a learner is ready to move beyond plain CVC words, because it keeps the same short-a sound while adding a more complex ending. Search demand often includes “words ending in ank,” but the most helpful teaching examples are the regular, concrete words that children can read and reuse right away.
A common question
What are useful -ank words?
Useful -ank words include bank, rank, sank, tank, and yank. After those are secure, learners can move to blank, crank, drank, plank, prank, and shrank. These are much more helpful for phonics teaching than a random list of words that merely happen to end in ank.
Five-minute routine
Practise without memorizing the list
Cover the list and reveal one word at a time. Say each sound, blend, then reread the word normally.
Build bank, then exchange its first sound to make another real word from this page.
Read one sentence, dictate one target word, and ask the learner to explain which letters spell the shared ending.
Ready-to-print practice
Print this -ank word lesson
The print layout keeps the reviewed word list, sentences, contrast, and practice routine while removing navigation and audio controls.