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Skills
Levels
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English Vowel Sounds
Sound | |
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/i/ | |
leak | |
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keen | |
peat | |
beet | |
bee |
/I/ | |
lick | |
lit | |
kin | |
pit | |
bit | |
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/ey/ | |
lake | |
late | |
cane | |
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bait | |
bay |
/e/ | |
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let | |
Ken | |
pet | |
bet | |
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"ae" | |
lack | |
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can | |
pat | |
bet | |
baa |
"ah" | |
lock | |
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con | |
pot | |
bought | |
bah |
"uh" | |
luck | |
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putt | |
but | |
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"oo" | |
look | |
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put | |
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/u/ | |
Luke | |
lute | |
coon | |
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boot | |
boo |
"er" | |
lurk | |
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Kern | |
pert | |
Bert | |
burr |
/o/ | |
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cone | |
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boat | |
Bo, bow |
/ai/ | |
like | |
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kine | |
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bite | |
by |
/au/ | |
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lout | |
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pout | |
bout | |
bough |
/oi/ | |
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coin | |
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boy |
Some Generalizations (Not Rules) about English vowels and spelling
English vowels have "long" and "short" forms.
The long form is the "name" of the letter: The short form is as follows:
A
E
I
O
U
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/ey/
/i/
/ai/
/o/ or /ou/
/u/ or /yu/ |
a
e
i
o
u
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"ae"
/e/
/I/
"ah"
"uh" |
Long vowels are usually (but not always) indicated by a second (silent) vowel in the same syllable:
sheep | |
bait | |
heat | |
loaf | |
like | |
mice | |
tune | |
peace | |
juice | |
hoe | |
leave |
jay | |
slow | |
pony | |
(Sometimes "y" and "w" can function as a second vowel.) |
Short vowels usually stand alone within a syllable and are often followed by "double" consonants:
ran | |
jet | |
cup | |
doll | |
kiss | |
tick | |
lamb | |
witch | |
fast | |
hint | |
punch |
Note the difference:
hope
hop |
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hoped
hopped |
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hoping
hopping |
Notable exceptions:
head
light
read
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give
sign
live
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gone
find
lead
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(sound is "short" despite silent second vowel)
(sound is "long" despite no silent second vowel)
(two pronunciations: long or short)
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