Vowel Sounds Lesson

What Are Vowel Sounds?

Vowel sounds in English are produced when the airflow passes through the mouth without being blocked by the tongue, teeth, or lips. There are five vowel letters in the alphabet: A, E, I, O, U, but these letters produce multiple sounds, typically categorized into short vowels and long vowels.

1. Short Vowel Sounds

Short vowel sounds occur when the vowel is pronounced in a quick, clipped manner. Here are the common short vowel sounds and examples for each:

• A: Sounds like /æ/ as in “cat” or “bat”

  • Example: The cat sat on the mat.

• E: Sounds like /ɛ/ as in “bed” or “red”

  • Example: He went to bed early.

• I: Sounds like /ɪ/ as in “sit” or “fish”

  • Example: She hit the ball with a stick.

• O: Sounds like /ɒ/ (British English) or /ɑ/ (American English) as in “hot” or “dog”

  • Example: The pot is on the stove.

  • 2. Long Vowel Sounds

    Long vowels sound like the name of the letter itself and are usually heard when a vowel is followed by a silent “e” or a double vowel.

    • A: Sounds like /eɪ/ as in “cake” or “name”

      • Example: The cake is on the table.

    • E: Sounds like /i:/ as in “see” or “be”

      • Example: Can you see the bee?

    • I: Sounds like /aɪ/ as in “kite” or “ice”

      • Example: The kite flew high in the sky.

    • O: Sounds like /oʊ/ as in “home” or “note”

      • Example: She wrote a note to her friend.

    • U: Sounds like /ju:/ as in “cube” or “use”

      • Example: I will use a blue cube.

    U: Sounds like /ʌ/ as in “sun” or “cup”

• • Example: The sun is shining brightly.

  • Comparison: Short vs. Long Vowel Sounds

    Vowel	Short Sound	Example (Short)	Long Sound	Example (Long)
    A	/æ/	“cat”	/eɪ/	“cake”
    E	/ɛ/	“bed”	/i:/	“see”
    I	/ɪ/	“sit”	/aɪ/	“kite”
    O	/ɒ/ or /ɑ/	“hot”	/oʊ/	“note”
    U	/ʌ/	“cup”	/ju:/	“cube”

  • Explanation of Differences

    • Short vowels tend to be used in shorter, more common words and appear in closed syllables (syllables that end with a consonant). For example, the word “sit” has a short vowel because the syllable is closed by the consonant “t”.

    • Long vowels often appear in words where the syllable ends in a vowel or when there is a silent “e” at the end of the word (as in “kite”). Long vowels are also heard in vowel combinations like “oa” in “boat.”