Short vs. Long Vowels

Front

What is a short vowel?

Back

A short vowel is a vowel sound that is pronounced quickly and does not say its name. Examples: 'a' in 'cat', 'e' in 'bed', 'i' in 'sit', 'o' in 'hot', 'u' in 'cup'.

Front

What is a long vowel?

Back

A long vowel is a vowel sound that is pronounced longer and says its name. Examples: 'a' in 'cake', 'e' in 'see', 'i' in 'like', 'o' in 'home', 'u' in 'cute'.

Front

Can you give an example of a word with a short 'a'?

Back

Yes! The word 'cat' has a short 'a' sound.

Front

Can you give an example of a word with a long 'e'?

Back

Yes! The word 'see' has a long 'e' sound.

Front

What happens to the vowel sound in a word when it has a silent 'e' at the end?

Back

The silent 'e' makes the vowel sound before it a long vowel sound. For example, 'cap' becomes 'cape'.

Front

What is the difference between short and long vowels?

Back

Short vowels are quick sounds that do not say their names, while long vowels are stretched sounds that do say their names.

Front

What is an example of a word with a long 'i'?

Back

The word 'like' has a long 'i' sound.

Front

What is an example of a word with a short 'o'?

Back

The word 'hot' has a short 'o' sound.

Front

How can you tell if a vowel is short or long in a word?

Back

You can often tell by looking for a silent 'e' at the end of the word or by the spelling patterns.

Front

What is a common spelling pattern for long 'u'?

Back

A common spelling pattern for long 'u' is 'u_e', as in 'cute'.