The English Vowels

long a /e/ spellings

When the word has a Vowel and the vowel is followed by
a single consonant ending by the letter e. The Vowel
a is pronounced as long a/e/.
1. a_e (CVC-e) a. same /sem/ b. cake /kek/
c.
safe /sef/
Having two Vowels ai pronounced long sound of a for
the mid-word sound.
2. -aia. rain /ren/ b. paid /ped/
c. faith /fe/
3. ay
a. say /se/
b. play /ple/
c.
way /we/
4. eigh a. eight /et/ b. weigh /we/
c.
sleigh /sle/
Short a //
1. a- (CVC) a. ask /sk/
class /kls/

b. bath /b/

c.

long e /i/
The two Vowles ee when comes in the middle or at the
end of the word pronounced long e /i/.
1. ee
a. keep /kip/ b. free /fri/
c. seem /sim/
The two vowles of ea can pronounce as long e' /i/ or
pronounced as a short e // as in word dead /dd/).
2. ea
a. each /i/
b. dream /drim/
c.
tea /ti/
3. ie_v a. piece /pis/ b. grieve /griv/
c.
achieve /iv/
The Vowels of ie could be pronounced as long I //,
as in the word pie /p/, and irregularly when the two
adjacent vowel sounds in the case of the word of
science /sns/ and the word quiet /kwt/.
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4. ie
a. brief /brif/ b. priest /prist/
field /fild/
5. y
a. happy /hpi/
b. body /bdi/
pony /poni/

c.
c.

The Vowel -e at the end of the word with no other vowel

is pronounced long e /i/ when the word is made of a
single-syllable words.
6. e
a. me /mi/
b. we /wi/
c.
she /i/
Short e //
1. -e- (CVC)a. bed /bd/
b. send /snd/
yes /ys/
2. ea
a. head /hd/ b. bread /brd/
heaven /hvn/

c.
c.

long i //
As the Vowel I is followed by by a single consonant of
the letter e the Vowel I is pronounced as long I
1. i_e
a. ice /s/
smile /sml/
2. igh

a. light /lt/

b. hide /hd/

b. bright /brt/

c.
c. sigh /s/

The two letters of ie are pronounced as long i // and

the long e' /i/. as in the words brief /brif/. The two
pronounced as two adjacent vowel sounds as in words like
science /s ns/, and quiet /kw t/. For unfamiliar
words which are spelled ie consult the dictionary.
3. ie
die /d/

a. tie /t/

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b. pie /p/

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c.

The y letter at the end of words could be pronounced as

a long e /i/ as in the word of happy/hpi/
4. y
/dr/

a. shy //

b. sky /sk/

c. dry

While the letter Y at the end of the word might have

two familiar pronunciations as long e or the short
i // as in word of symbol /smbl/.
5. -ya. cycle /skl/ b. dynamic /dnmk/ c.
hyper /hp/

Short i //
1. -i- (CVC) a. it /t/

b. lip /lp/

c. spin /spn/

2. -ya. myth /m/ b. symbol /smbl/

c. system /sstm/
long o /o/
When a word has the letter o and it is followed by a
single consonant and then the e letter, it is usually
pronounced as long o /o/.
1. o_e (VC-e)a. joke /ok/b. rope /rop/

c. vote /vot/

2. oa

c. toast /tost/

a. boat /bot/ b. soap /sop/

The two letter of ow could be pronounced long o

/a/ as in the word 'cow'/ka/.

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3. ow
a. snow /sno/b. own /on/
known /non/

c.

When a word has a single letter of o it can be an

extremely difficult to manage because it might be
pronounced as long o /o/, and it could be pronounced
as short o // as in the words of top/tp/ and the 'aw
sound' (as in the word 'dog' /dg/).
4. -oa. most /most/
both /bo/

b. go /go/

c.

Short o //
1. -o- (CVC) a. odd /d/

b. box /bks/

c. shock /k/

long u /yu/
When the letter u is followed by consonant e, it is
mostly pronounced as long u/yu/.
1. u_e (VC-e)a. cute /kyut/ b. cube /kyub/
huge /hyu/
2. ue

a. fuel /fyul/

3. ew
skew /skyu/

b. hue /hyu/

a. few /fyu/

c.

c. rescue /rskyu/

b. pew /pyu/

c.

Short u //
1. -u- (CVC) a. us /s/ b. duck /dk/

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c. just /st/

Other u // spellings
1. oo

a. good /gd/ b. look /lk/

2. -u- (CVC)a. put /pt/

sugar /'g /
3. ure

a. pure /pr/

c. book /bk/

b. full /fl/

b. cure /kr/

c.

c. insure /in 'r/

aw // spellings
1. aw
drawn /drn/

a. law /lw/

2. -o- (CVC)a. dog /dg/

soft /sft/

b. awful /' fl/

b. lost /lst/

c.
c.

3. au
a. caution/'k n/ b. haunt /hnt/
c. author /' /
4. augh a. caught /kt/ b. daughter /'d tt/c. taught /tt/
5. ough(+t)a. brought /b/ b. thought /t/
fought /ft/
6. (w+)a

a. want /wnt/ b. wash /w/

c.
c. watch /w/

oi // spellings
1. oi

a. oil /l/

2. oy
loyal /'l l/

a. boy /b/

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b. voice /vs/
b. joy //

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c. point /pnt/
c.

ow /a/ spellings
1. ow
a. cow /ka/
c. owl /al/

b. brown /bran/

2. ou
a. mouse /mas/
c. out /at/

b. count /kant/

schwa+r' // spellings
1. er
after /'ft /

a. her /h/

b. verb /vb/

c.

2. ir
stir /st/

a. girl /gl/

b. birth /b/

c.

3. ur
occur / 'k/

a. burn /bn/ b. purple /'pp l/

4. ear

a. learn /ln/ b. pearl /pl/

5. (w+)or

c.

c. heard /hd/

a. word /wd/ b. work /wk/

c. world /wld/

6. vowel+r (unstressed syllable)

a. doctor /'dkt / b. forget /f 'gt/
dollar /'dl /

c.

ar /r/ spellings
1. ar

a. arm /rm/

b. start /strt/

c. car /kr/

air /r/ spellings

1. air
stair /str/
2. are

a. chair /r/

a. dare /dr/

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b. pair /pr/

b. rare /rr/

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c.
c. scare /scr/