English, Vowel, Pronunciation

1. Vowel Pronunciation Rules

2. General Rules for Vowels

3. 1. One vowel, not at the end of the word
As in: Cat; Bed; Pill; Dog; Sun
• one vowel in a word
• the vowel isn’t at the end
It usually has a short sound.

4. 2. One vowel at the end of a word
As in: She; Go; ; Hi; He
• only one vowel
• it comes at the end of the word
It usually has a long sound.

5. 3. Two vowels in a word, last vowel is ‘e’
As in: Bake; Line; Woke; Mute
• there are two or more vowels
• the word ends with the vowel 'E',
Two things happen. The ending vowel 'E' is silent, and
the vowel that comes before it has a long sound.

6. 4. Two different vowels together in a word
As in: Rain; Seal; Tied; Cheat
• two vowel letters are together
The first vowel letter has a long sound and the second
vowel letter is silent.

7. 5. One vowel followed by a double consonant (the same letter)
As in: Dinner; Summer; Pull, Simmer
• a vowel followed by two of the same consonants in a row
(called a double consonant)
A short sound is used for the vowel.

8. 6. Double vowels (same)
As in: Week; Vacuum; Refugee; Wheel;
• two of the same vowels in a row (called a double vowel),
pronounce them as one vowel, using the long sound.
*This rule does not apply when 'O' is the double vowel

9. 7. Double ‘o’ vowel
As in: Foot; Book; Stood; Loophole
There are 3 different pronunciation options.
1) Blood / Flood
2) Book
3) Food.

10. EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULES
-IGH (long I) as in: high, sight, fight, thigh
-NG (varies with each vowel) as in: Sing, Ring Song/Long Sung/Lung
-OST as in "most” “Host” (but not "lost" or "cost") uses the long sound instead of the normal short sound.
-OW has two different sounds as in "low" and "cow." (or, ”row" (a boat) and ”row.” (to have an arguement)
-ED has three different sounds as in "lifted," "played," and "walked"
-OI does not follow the two vowels rule, as in: Moist, Boil, Coin
-OUS (short u sound) as in: Nervous, Adventurous, Furious, Contagious
- AU (makes an “aw” sound) as in: Fault, Cause, Sauce, Laundry
-SION, -TION, and -CION are all pronounced "shun.” as in: Tension, Action, Suspicion
-OUGH has at least seven different sounds, as in "bough," "cough," "hough," "tough," "thorough," "thought,"
and "through."

11. Practice with Minimal Pairs

12. /I/ (short i) /i:/ (long e)
Chick Cheek
Chit (Chat) Cheat
Dill Deal
Gin Genes (dna)
Grid Greedy
Hip Heap
Knit Neat
Lick Leak
(window) Sill Seal
Sin Scene
Still Steel
Till Teal
Tin Teen

13. /e/ (short e) /ei/ (long a)
Wet Wait
Best Based
Fell Fail
Let Late
Men Main
Pen Pain
Pen Paint
Rest Raced
Sell Sale
Special Spatial
Test Taste
West Waist

14. (short a) /e/ (short e)
Band Bend
Bat Bet
Dad Dead
Gas Guess
Gas Guest
Land Lend
Mat Met
Marry Merry
Shall Shell
Ax Ex
Cattle Kettle
Vat Vet
/æ/

15. (short o) (long o)
Dot Dote
Mop Mope
Odd Ode
Rot wrote
Got Goat
Hop Hope
Cost Coast
Not Note
On Own
Sock Soak
/ɒ/ /əʊ/ .

16. Vowel Pronunciation Quiz

17. Which of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Peak
b) Been
c) Peek
d) Bean

18. Which of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Peak
b) Been
c) Peek
d) Bean
Sounds like “Bin”

19. Which of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Bin
b) Bids
c) Bend
d) Bind

20. Which of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Bin
b) Bids
c) Bend
d) Bind Sounds like “kind”

21. Which of the following words does not sound like the othersWhich of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Car
b) Barn
c) Pack
d) Party

22. Which of the following words does not sound like the othersWhich of the following words does not sound like the others
a) Car
b) Barn
c) Pack Sounds like “sack”
d) Party

23. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
MADE
a) Was
b) Day
c) Ran
d) Toy

24. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
MADE
a) Was
b) Day
c) Ran
d) Toy

25. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
TIN
a) Tail
b) Vine
c) Ship
d) Bird

26. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
TIN
a) Tail
b) Vine
c) Ship
d) Bird

27. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
CUP
a) Tough
b) Launch
a) Put
b) Lost

28. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
CUP
a) Tough
b) Launch
a) Put
b) Lost

29. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
TIE
a) Think
b) Shrimp
a) May
b) Right

30. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
TIE
a) Think
b) Shrimp
a) May
b) Right

31. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
NOW
a) Knot
b) Mouse
c) Boy
a) Note

32. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
NOW
a) Knot
b) Mouse
c) Boy
a) Note

33. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
COME
a) Boost
b) Loud
c) Put
a) Fun

34. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
COME
a) Boost
b) Loud
c) Put
a) Fun

35. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
GO
a) Shop
b) Soap
c) Song
d) Sun

36. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
GO
a) Shop
b) Soap
c) Song
d) Sun

37. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
SWAM
a) Stand
b) Rain
c) Same
d) Reach

38. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
SWAM
a) Stand
b) Rain
c) Same
d) Reach

39. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
BOOK
a) Luck
b) Caught
c) Loop
d) Could

40. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
BOOK
a) Luck
b) Caught
c) Loop
d) Could

41. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
LEND
a) Tea
b) Guess
c) Few
d) Near

42. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
LEND
a) Tea
b) Guess
c) Few
d) Near

43. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
GOOD
a) Foot
b) Mood
c) Lucky
d) Would

44. Which of the following words has the same sound as:
GOOD
a) Foot
b) Mood
c) Lucky
d) Would