Learning to read can be tricky so we want to give you more tools in your toolbox to make phonics fun, engaging and approachable. What you’ll get here is a list of long “O” sound words formed by the “ow” letter combination vowel team.
You can then use the list of words to make your own custom classroom bingo cards in less than a minute using our free word bingo card generator.
Note: This list only includes words where ‘ow’ makes the long ‘o’ sound (like ‘snow’). It does not include words where ‘ow’ makes the ‘oww’ sound (like ‘cow’).” [Isn’t learning to read English just so straightforward. 😵💫 ]
The “OW” Vowel Team
Phonics instruction is all about patterns — and the “OW” vowel team is a great one for young readers to practice.
While “OW” can sometimes make the sound you hear in cow or town, in this lesson we’re focusing on the Long O sound, like in:
snow, grow, and show
These words follow a clear spelling pattern and make excellent decodable words for early readers.
Below you’ll find ready-to-use word lists organized by level. You can copy and paste them directly into EasyBingoCreator to generate custom phonics bingo cards in seconds.
Long ‘o’ sound “ow” words for young readers [Decodable List of 16 Words]
Here is a collection of 16 words that are great for late 1st Grade or early 2nd Grade readers. (Or for emerging readers of any age.)
I have formatted the list with commas between the words so you can easily copy the list, paste it into the EasyBingoCreator tool and make your own classroom bingo cards in less than a minute. (Choose the 3×3 or 4×4 grid size for this list of 16 words.)
snow, grow, blow, slow, show, crow, low, flow, glow, mow, row, tow, know, throw, bowl, own
These are mostly single-syllable words (with the exception of bowl) that clearly show the Long O pattern.
Just point out the silent “k” in “know” for young readers so they get used to seeing that and identifying the word with its meaning and sound.
More Advanced Long ‘o’ Sound “ow” words [8 Words]
Below are 8 more longer “ow” words with the long ‘o’ sound. These words are better suited for Grade 2 students. These words all have 2 syllables and some feature double consonants (like arrow and pillow), or have a digraph like “shadow”.
This list of 8 words isn’t enough to create a bingo card, but don’t worry, if you scroll down you’ll see a list of all these words plus the 16 above that you can copy to create an awesome word bingo card for your students or children.
window, yellow, below, shadow, follow, elbow, pillow, arrow
This set includes longer words while still reinforcing the same spelling pattern.
Big List of Long ‘o’ Sound “ow” Words [24 words]
Want to make some phonics bingo cards for your Grade 2 or 3 class?
👉 Just copy the list of long ‘o’ sound “ow” words below, paste them into the Easy Bingo Creator tool, select the grid size you want, the number of cards you need and press “Download PDF”.
🖨️ Then print them off in your classroom and in little time and with low prep, you’ll have a classroom bingo game ready to go.
snow, grow, blow, slow, show, crow, low, flow, glow, mow, row, tow, know, throw, bowl, own, window, yellow, below, shadow, follow, elbow, pillow, arrow
Choosing a 4×4 grid will obviously give you 16 words on each bingo card so not all of these words will appear on each student’s bingo card.
Selecting a 5×5 grid which has a Free Space in the center will perfectly accommodate all 24 words from this list.
Create Custom Phonics Bingo Cards
Here is how to easily turn the word list into a classroom phonics bingo game and you’ll get a simple, ink-friendly design like the bingo card shown below.
How to Make your Own Custom Word Bingo Cards
1️⃣ Copy any of the word lists above
2️⃣ Paste the words into the Bingo Tool at 👉 EasyBingoCreator.com
3️⃣ Select Grid Size (3×3, 4×4 or 5×5 grids)
4️⃣ Select the number of unique bingo cards that you need for your class
5️⃣ Change the title if you want then click “Download PDF“
🖨️ Print off the PDF
✂️ Cut out the “Calling Cards” that are at the back of the PDF
Below is a screenshot showing what the “Calling Cards” look like. Notice how they can double as flashcards too!
With this free tool you can instantly generate your own custom word bingo cards:
- Printable Long O bingo cards
- Custom phonics bingo for Grade 1, Grade 2 and up…
- 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5 grids
- As many unique cards as you need
It’s one of the fastest ways to reinforce spelling patterns and phonics rules while building reading confidence in a fun and low pressure way.
A Simple Explanation of the “OW” Pattern with the Long ‘o’ sound
If you’re teaching at home or just want a clearer understanding of the pattern, here’s what’s happening.
When “ow” makes the Long O sound, it usually appears at the end of a word or syllable:
snow ❄️
blow
yellow
window
That’s one reason it’s helpful to teach it as a pattern. Students begin to notice:
“If I see OW at the end, it might say the Long O sound.”
(🚨 Of course, with the English language there are always exceptions such as “own” and “bowl” have the long “o” sound made by the “ow” combination, but the “ow” is not at the end of these words. So the “ow” with the long ‘o’ sound USUALLY appears at the end of the word but not always.)
Over time, repeated exposure helps strengthen orthographic mapping — which simply means the brain starts recognizing these words quickly and automatically.
Be Careful because “ow” can make another sound
It would be nice if the “ow” letter combination only made one sound, but alas that is not to be.
In addition to the long ‘o’ sound made by the “ow” letter combination, you have to be aware that “ow” can also make the “oww” sound – like what you’d say when you stub your toe. 🦶 (This sound is sometimes written as /ou/ as well.)
Examples of this “ow” sound are in words like “cow”, “now” and “town”.
Just something to point out if you’re a parent helping teach or reinforce phonics concepts to your children at home.
Quick Teaching Activity to Help Learn the Long ‘o’ “OW” words from the /ou/ “ow” words
👉 Sort by Sound
Mix in a few “cow”, “town” or “how” words and have students sort them into:
- Long O “OW”
- The other “OW” sound
This helps strengthen listening and spelling skills at the same time.
Final Thoughts
The “OW” vowel team is a small pattern — but it appears in many common words. By practicing with decodable word lists and interactive games like Bingo, students can build confidence in their spelling and automatic word recognition.
Plus check out:
List of Long “A” sound ‘ai’ Vowel Team Words
Bossy R “ar” words list for Grades 2 and 3 (aka R-controlled vowels)
Bossy R “OR” Words (R-controlled ‘or’ words list)