Short Vowels

Front

What are short vowels?

Back

Short vowels are vowel sounds that are pronounced in a quick, relaxed manner, typically found in one-syllable words. The short vowels in English are: a (as in 'cat'), e (as in 'bed'), i (as in 'sit'), o (as in 'hot'), and u (as in 'cup').

Front

Provide an example of a word with a short 'a' vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short 'a' vowel sound is 'cat'.

Front

Provide an example of a word with a short 'e' vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short 'e' vowel sound is 'bed'.

Front

Provide an example of a word with a short 'i' vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short 'i' vowel sound is 'sit'.

Front

Provide an example of a word with a short 'o' vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short 'o' vowel sound is 'hot'.

Front

Provide an example of a word with a short 'u' vowel sound.

Back

An example of a word with a short 'u' vowel sound is 'cup'.

Front

What is the difference between short vowels and long vowels?

Back

Short vowels are pronounced quickly and do not have the same duration as long vowels, which are pronounced for a longer period and often have a different sound (e.g., 'a' in 'cake' is a long vowel).

Front

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

Back

You can identify a short vowel sound in a word by listening for the quick, relaxed pronunciation of the vowel, often found in closed syllables (where a consonant follows the vowel).

Front

What is a closed syllable?

Back

A closed syllable is a syllable that ends with a consonant, which typically causes the vowel sound to be short (e.g., 'cat', 'bed').

Front

What is an open syllable?

Back

An open syllable is a syllable that ends with a vowel, which usually makes the vowel sound long (e.g., 'he', 'go').