Printable letter tiles

What are printable letter tiles?

Letter tiles are loose letters, one on each card, that children put together to build names and words. It is also called a movable alphabet. On this page you pick uppercase or lowercase letters, the tile size and the set: the alphabet, only the vowels, or a word-building set with extra copies of the most used letters. Print and cut.

How to use it

1. Pick the letter case: uppercase or lowercase.
2. Pick the set: the alphabet, the word-building set or only the vowels.
3. Pick the tile size: large (12 per sheet), medium (20 per sheet) or small (35 per sheet).
4. Want the vowels marked? Under Highlight, pick Vowels: they get a frame and a dot in the corner.
5. Tap Print the sheet. In the print window, keep the scale at 100% (or choose Fit to page on Letter paper).
6. Cut out the letters along the dashed lines and keep them in an envelope.

The three letter sets

• Alphabet: the 26 letters, A to Z, one of each. Good for introducing the letters, putting them in order and making a classroom display.
• Word-building set: 84 tiles, with more copies of the letters that show up most in writing. There are 7 tiles of E; 6 of A; 5 of I, O, S and T; 4 of N, R and U; 3 of B, C, D, G, H, L, M and P; 2 of F, K, V, W, Y and Z; and 1 of J, Q and X.
• English has no accent marks, so the word-building set has only the 26 letters.
• Vowels: A, E, I, O and U repeated. You get 4 tiles of each vowel in the large and medium sizes, and 7 of each in the small size.

Activity ideas

• My name: the child finds the letters of their own name and builds it on the table. Then they build a friend's name.
• Silent dictation: show a picture or an object without saying a word. The child builds the word with the tiles and only then reads it out loud.
• Build the word for the picture: spread magazine pictures on the table. Each child picks one and builds its name underneath.
• First letter: draw a letter. Everyone looks around the room for things that start with it.
• Swap a letter: build CAT. Change one letter at a time and read the new word: HAT, HOT, POT, PIT.
• ABC order: shuffle the tiles and ask the group to line them up from A to Z.
• Uppercase with lowercase: print both sets and ask the child to match each pair, like A with a.
• Letter bingo: each child picks six tiles. You draw letters, and whoever has the letter turns the tile over.

Paper and cutting tips

• Print on heavier paper if your printer takes it. Or glue the sheet onto card stock before cutting.
• To make the tiles last, laminate the whole sheet or cover it with clear adhesive film before cutting.
• Cut into strips first, following the lines from edge to edge. Then separate the tiles.
• The thin line under each letter shows which side is down. Nobody mixes up b with q, n with u or M with W.
• Store the letters sorted: an egg carton or envelopes with the letter written outside make them quick to find.
• When there is room left in the last row of a sheet, the tile comes out blank. Use it to write a letter you still need.

Frequently asked questions