Long and Short Vowels

Front

What are long vowels?

Back

Long vowels are vowel sounds that are pronounced the same as the name of the letter itself. For example, the long 'a' in 'cake'.

Front

What are short vowels?

Back

Short vowels are vowel sounds that are pronounced differently than the name of the letter. For example, the short 'a' in 'cat'.

Front

List the short vowel sounds in English.

Back

The short vowel sounds in English are: a (as in cat), e (as in bed), i (as in sit), o (as in hot), u (as in cup).

Front

List the long vowel sounds in English.

Back

The long vowel sounds in English are: a (as in cake), e (as in see), i (as in kite), o (as in home), u (as in mule).

Front

How can you identify a long vowel sound in a word?

Back

A long vowel sound is often followed by a silent 'e' at the end of the word, or it can be found in a vowel team (like 'ai' in 'rain').

Front

How can you identify a short vowel sound in a word?

Back

A short vowel sound is typically found in a closed syllable, where the vowel is followed by one or more consonants (like 'cat' or 'bed').

Front

What is a vowel team?

Back

A vowel team is a combination of two vowels that together make one vowel sound, such as 'ai' in 'rain' or 'ea' in 'bread'.

Front

What is the difference between a vowel and a consonant?

Back

Vowels are speech sounds made without any significant constriction or blockage of airflow in the vocal tract, while consonants are produced with some degree of constriction.

Front

Give an example of a word with a long vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a long vowel sound is 'bike', where the 'i' is pronounced as a long vowel.

Front

Give an example of a word with a short vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short vowel sound is 'pen', where the 'e' is pronounced as a short vowel.