| English Online with Speak Method |
|
|
| Short
Vowels |
Examples | Long
Vowels |
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) or (ö) |
Good, Book |
|
| Short I | Sit, Fish | Long I | Fight, Pie | Y as Final Letter** |
city, try |
|
| Short O | Off, Hot | Long O | Hope, Boat | |||
| Short U (schwa*) | Up, Fun | Long U Only | Flute, Boot | Y + Long U | Cute, Music |
|
What is a vowel? A vowel is a sound that is created without diverting or blocking sound. The main vowels are A, E, I, O, U. Think about these sounds and compare them to the consonants (all the other letters). For instance, B is made by closing the lips (blocking sound). S is made by lightly pressing the tongue against the top of the mouth (diverting sound). When you speak the vowels, your mouth is open and fairly relaxed. Though vowels do not divert or block sound, there is facial movement in creating them. In fact, in American English, most vowel sounds are large and we move the mouth a lot. The only vowels with little facial movement are the Short E, the Short I and the Short U. Long vowels say the names of the letters. These sounds usually have more complicated spellings, especially a silent vowel nearby. |
||||||
|
|
Continue Learning Pronunciation of A sounds Pronunciation of O sounds English Pronunciation News: Vowel Sounds |