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Introduction to the Vowels

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Here are the vowel sounds of American English. This chart shows the way kids are taught vowels in school. There are more rules you can learn about each sound, but this is a great place to start.

Short Sounds	Examples	Long Sounds	Examples	Other Sounds	Examples
Short A	Cat, Apple	Long A	Late, Rain	A to O (æ)o	Down, Ouch
Short E	Pet, Fell	Long E	Meet, Bead	Relaxed U (ṻ)	Good, Book
Short I	Sit, Fish	Long I	Fight, Pie
Short O	Off, Hot	Long O	Hope, Boat
Short U (schwa*)	Up, Fun	Long U Only	Flute, Boot	Y + Long U	Cute, Music

* The "schwa" is the phonetic name for the short U sound, the U sound in "up." It is often represented with an upside down E. This sound does not require any effort. It is the sound you make when you mouth is relaxed and air comes out. It is the most common sound in our language and can have any spelling. For instance, it is the "a" sound in "about" and the "o" sound in "brother."

Notice: Long Sounds usually have more complicated spellings, especially a nearby silent vowel.

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