Hard G Worksheets

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Originally there were four different sounds that the letter g could make. In modern English, there are two focused sounds that letter makes. Sounds that give off a sound similar to clicking is called a hard sound. The sound that this letter gives off depends entirely on the presence of the letters (e or y). If neither of those letters trail after the letter g, the g in the word will give off a hard sound. As with any rule, there are many exceptions to this and as you have success with your lesser words, you will grasp this quickly. The hard g gives off a (g) sound, whereas a soft g is pronounced as (j) sound. In this section of our website, we will review how to spot these words and how to pronunciate them. By following this technique, you will become a more fluent reader.


Hard G Worksheets To Print:

Which Box? - Say the name of each picture. Do you hear a hard G or a soft G? Cut and paste each word into the correct box.

Do You Hear It? - Name the image and then decide if you hear the sound in there.

Listen For It - Circle the word in each set that contains the key sound of the day.

Say - Write - Circle - Write the name of the pictures on the line. Circle the words that contain that sound.

Picture This - Look at each picture. Circle the ones that begin with a hard sound. Cross out the ones that begin with a soft sound.

Box It Out - Break apart the word boxes. Write the words on the correct lines.

Color the Path - Help the dragon find his gift. Color the words to reveal the path.

Word Hunt - Find all the words that hit that sound within the word cloud.

Tough and Light - Read each word. Does it have a hard G sound, or a soft G sound? Color in the circle next to the correct sound.

Mugshot - Find the words out of the boxes that match what we are looking for.

One of Three - Which of the three words give off this sound that we are talking about.

Nail It Down - Break down these words to their fundamental sounds.

Words Out - They start you off some sample words and ask you to create your own.

Skill Review - This is a fun worksheet that reviews all the skills that we have seen.

Shush! Quiet! - Say each word quietly to yourself. Do you understand the sounds within it?


Hard G Word List

Students will often think that the pronunciation of a letter must remain the same if there are multiple instances of that letter in a word. This is not true; you will need to need to evaluate the role of every letter in the word. A common word that exhibits this is (geography). Below you will find a list of words that exhibit typical Hard g behavior.


There are many words that exhibit this pronunciation in the middle of the word such as in (dragon and froggy). For the most part we begin to teach this pronunciation by using words that have that sound at the beginning or end of the word. This makes it much easier for students to pick, but I have seen some teachers begin with teaching the sound in the middle with a good bit of success. That was done with slightly better accomplished students. So, you will need to feel your group out to understand what is best for them.


Words That Have a Hard G Sound Initially: gab, gag, game, gap, gas, gaze, gazebo, get, gig, glass, glove, glue, go, go, goal, goat, gob, gobble, good, got, grab, guess, guest, guild, guile, guilt, gum, gum, gut


Words That Have an Ending Hard G Sound: bag, big, bug, dig, dog, dug, fog, hag, hog, jog, jug, lag, log, mug, nag, pig, rag, rug, sag, tag, wag, wig, zigzag