Skills

Levels

English Vowel Sounds





English Vowel Sounds

Sound
           
/i/
leak
 
keen
peat
beet
bee
/I/
lick
lit
kin
pit
bit
 
/ey/
lake
late
cane
 
bait
bay
/e/
 
let
Ken
pet
bet
 
"ae"
lack
 
can
pat
bet
baa
"ah"
lock
 
con
pot
bought
bah
"uh"
luck
   
putt
but
 
"oo"
look
   
put
   
/u/
Luke
lute
coon
 
boot
boo
"er"
lurk
 
Kern
pert
Bert
burr
/o/
   
cone
 
boat
Bo, bow
/ai/
like
 
kine
 
bite
by
/au/
 
lout
 
pout
bout
bough
/oi/
   
coin
   
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
/ey/
/i/
/ai/
/o/ or /ou/
/u/ or /yu/
   
a
e
i
o
u
"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
hoped
hopped
hoping
hopping

    tiny/tinny

Notable exceptions:

head
light

read

give
sign

live

gone
find

lead

(sound is "short" despite silent second vowel)
(sound is "long" despite no silent second vowel)

(two pronunciations: long or short)

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Last updated: 15 February, 2010 02:43:16