10 Facts About Vowels to Know, Use, and Teach Right Now

Vowel Fact #1

All single vowels have more than one sound: they all make a long sound, a short sound and a schwa sound. For example: baby = long, apple = short, bandage = schwa

Vowel Fact #2

Short vowels are indicated with a breve – a curved line over the vowel.
Long vowels are indicated with a macron – a straight line over the vowel.

Vowel Fact #3

60% of English words have short vowel sounds

Vowel Fact #4

A vowel followed by a consonant (closed syllable) is usually short = (V)VC.
Examples: at, dog, bid, sat, mat, plat, slug
Exceptions: a vowel followed by the letters r, l, w, or y changes the vowel sound.
Examples: curb, call, cow, delay

Vowel Fact #5

Magic E – the Magic E pattern is VCE. E at the end of the word usually makes the vowel sound long. The Magic, we tell students, is the E “makes the vowel say its name.”
Examples: make, these, line, lone, mute

Vowel Fact #6

Silent E – an E which comes at the end of a word but does not make the preceding vowel long.

Vowel Fact #7

Reasons for silent E:

• Keeps a c or g soft: dance, courage, rage
• You cannot end words with a v: active
• You cannot end words with a u: value
• There is no reason! House

Vowel Fact #8

Long Vowels

• The long sound of a vowel is the same as its name (except for y)
• The letters y and i can both sound like short i: gym, his
• The letters y and i can also sound like long i: cry, hydrant, item, driver
• The letter y can also sound like long e: handy, baby, fantasy, monopoly
• The long vowel pattern is CV (consonant-vowel). Words like: go, me, she
• The vowel sound is long in an open syllable: by, sta ble, cu pid, mo tor

Vowel Fact #9

Schwa vowels

• A schwa is a vowel sound found in unaccented syllables
• Sounds like a short u, or “uh” sound
• Spelled with all vowel letters: cola, effect, family, obtain, support, analysis

Vowel Fact #10

Vowel Teams – Vowel sounds formed by two or more letters within the same syllable
Examples:

• ee, long e, see
• ea, short e, bread
• oy = “oi” = boy
• igh = long i = might
• eight = long a = eight

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