What Do You Know About Vowels? Now You Know Much, Much More

In Orton Gillingham training, we’re taught many rules to give students, which are great! We can also provide our students with facts to help them recognize and learn more and more about the English Language. Encouraging students to share their knowledge with friends and family is fun.

YouTube VIDEO of this article.

Today, let’s explore some facts about vowels.

Single Vowel Sounds

All single vowels don’t just make two sounds, they make three sounds. All vowels make a short vowel sound, a long vowel sound, and a schwa sound.

For example: apple = short, baby = long, among = schwa

Short vowels are indicated with a breve – a curved line over the vowel (looks like a smile!), and long vowels are indicated with a macron – a straight line over the vowel. An upside-down lowercase e indicates a schwa.

The Percentage of English Words

60% of English words have short vowel sounds. This includes the schwa, which is the most common sound in the English language.

Closed & Vowels Followed by R, L, W or Y

Closed Vowels

A vowel closed in or followed by a consonant (closed syllable) is usually short. It is called (Consonant)-Vowel-Consonant or CVC.

You do not need the first consonant to make a closed word/syllable. The words at, it, and in are still “closed in” by the consonant and are considered closed and make the vowel short.

Example CVC words: at, dog, bid, sat, mat, plat, slug
Example CVC syllables: rab bit, pun dit, an vil

Vowels Followed By R, L, W or Y

A vowel followed by the letters r, l, w, or y changes the vowel sound.
Examples: curb, call, cow, delay

Magic E

An E at the end of the word usually makes the preceding vowel sound long. This syllable or word pattern is VCE. The Magic, we tell students, is the E “makes the vowel say its name.”
Examples of words: make, these, line, lone, mute
Example of syllables: rep tile, in vade, in voke

Silent E is Not Magic

Silent E is an E at the end of a word but it does not make the preceding vowel long. This is not a Magic E.

Reasons for silent E:

• Keeps a c or g soft: dance, courage, cage
• You cannot end words with a v, they will always have an e: active
• You cannot end words with a u, the u will be followed by e: value
• There is no reason! Example: house

Long Vowels

The long sound of a vowel is the same as its name, except for y, it does not say its name.

The CV (consonant-vowel) lets us know that the vowel is going to be long. It is called an open syllable.

•  A few words that show the CV pattern are: be, me, go, she, the
•  Examples of an open syllable pattern in words are: sta ble, cu pid, mo tor

The Letter Y

The letter y has many sounds! It can sound like a short i, a long i, and a long e. Did we forget one? Yes! Y can also sound like a short u! The schwa can be in all vowels, including a y.

• As a short i in words like: gym, cymbal, symptom
• As a long i in words like: cry, by, hydrant
• Y at the end of words sounds like a long e: handy, baby, fantasy, monopoly
• Y as a schwa sounds like a short u: analysis, syringe

Schwa vowels

Schwa is the most common sound in the English language. It makes a vowel take on the sound of a short u, or “uh” sound.

• Schwa vowels are always found in unaccented syllables
• All vowels make the schwa sound – a, e, i, o, u and y: amazing, silent, pencil, common, focus, syringe

Vowel Teams

Vowel Teams are 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

Final Word

We teach many things in Orton Gillingham, but the first concept we teach to students is consonants and vowels. When we know more, we can teach more. Knowing these vowel facts should help us and in turn help students!

Check out a video on Vowel Facts or Consonant Facts!

Ready-made resources for lessons

Read & Spell Foundations | Consonants and Short Vowels (Structured lessons, no special training required)
Fast Track Bundle | Scope & Sequence Workbooks 1 &2 + Drill Cards

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