List of Words That Start with Letter U For Children to Learn

U is a tricky letter for young kids because it makes different sounds at the start of different words. Listen to umbrella, unicorn and urban. Each one starts with a different sound. So instead of one long list, the words below are grouped by the sound U makes.

Short U: The Sound in “Up”

Most phonics lessons, including those in Bambinos’ English classes for kids, start with this sound. It’s a short, relaxed “uh”, the sound you make in up and cup.

Easy words for preschool and kindergarten: up, us, under, uncle, umbrella, until, upset, ugly

Words for Class 1 and 2: unhappy, unlock, unpack, upstairs, upside down, untidy, umpire, understand

Long U: The Sound in “Unicorn”

Here, U sounds like its own name, “you”. Kids are often surprised that unicorn and umbrella start with the same letter.

Easy words: unicorn, uniform, use, unit, ukulele, unicycle

Words for older kids: universe, united, unique, useful, usual, university

The “Ur” Sound

When U is followed by R, it makes a different sound again, as in urn and urban.

Words: urge, urgent, urban, urn

A or An?

Many lists say U words always take an. That isn't right, and it's a common mistake in schoolwork. The rule depends on the sound at the start of the word, not the letter.

• Short U sounds like a vowel, so it takes an: an umbrella, an uncle, an upset stomach.

• Long U sounds like “you”, which starts with a consonant sound, so it takes a: a unicorn, a uniform, a useful tip, a university.

A simple test: say the word aloud. If it starts with “yoo”, use a. The same sound rule applies to words like hour and honest. This guide to using a and an correctly explains the rule in full.

Words Kids Will Recognise from India

Places: Udaipur, Ujjain, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Ooty (officially Udhagamandalam)

Food: upma, uttapam, urad dal

These are useful because kids hear them at home or on holiday, so the words come with a memory attached.

Three Small Prefixes That Make Hundreds of Words

Once kids can read a few U words, three prefixes open up a huge number of new ones.

• un- means “not” or “the opposite of”: happy → unhappy, kind → unkind, tie → untie, lock → unlock

• under- means “below”: underground, underwater, underline, underneath

• up- means “higher”: upstairs, uphill, upload, upgrade

A quick game: say a word and ask your kid to add un- to make its opposite. Fair → unfair. Done → undone. Safe → unsafe. Then try a tricky one. “Unhappy” works, but “unsad” doesn't, so not every word takes it.

Bigger Words for Confident Readers (Ages 9 and Up)

ultimate, unanimous, unbelievable, underestimate, uniform (as a describing word: “a uniform colour”), upbeat, urgent, utensil, utopia

For each one, ask your kid to guess the meaning before looking it up. They’ll often get close, especially when they spot a prefix they know.

Ways to Practise

Picture match. Make cards with a picture on one side and a word on the other: umbrella, unicorn, uncle, upstairs. Mix them up and match them.

Sound sort. Read out U words and have your kid put them in two piles, “uh” words and “you” words. This one activity teaches more than any long list.

Opposites race. Two players, a timer and a list of words. Who can add un- to the most words correctly in one minute?

In Bambinos’ live phonics and English classes, letter sounds like these are taught through games and conversation, so kids learn why a word is spelled the way it is. Try a session free of charge and watch a class in action.