Here are some basic sound and spelling patterns. In general, you may apply certain pronunciation guidelines to the following spelling patterns.
|
|
Long Vowels |
Short Vowels |
|
Letter Name |
Long Sound |
Short Sound |
|
A |
/ei/_____may |
/ae/_____ mad |
|
E |
/i/______beat |
/ɛ/______ get |
|
I |
/ai/_____ fine |
/I/______ did |
|
O |
/ow/____boat |
/ɑ/______ hot |
|
U |
/uw/____food |
/^/______ cut |
1 vowel + 1 consonant + silent -e = long vowel sound
|
Say "A" |
Say "E" |
Say "I" |
Say "O" |
Say "U" |
|
ate fake make cake |
eve Steve here these |
fine while like fire |
joke home hole those |
June use huge tune |
1 vowel + 1 consonant + 1 vowel = long vowel sound
|
Say "A" |
Say "E" |
Say "I" |
Say "O" |
Say "U" |
|
nation relation patient
|
completion menial
|
This guideline does not apply to the letter "I"
|
lotion okay open
|
confusion music future
|
"When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." When two vowels are together, the first vowel says it's name.
Example: train = long "A" or /ei/ sound
|
Say "A" |
Say "E" |
Say "I" |
Say "O" |
Say "U" |
|
straight rain plain wait afraid raise |
receive ceiling cheap people please treat |
lie die pie trial dial
|
road soap though toast dough
|
fruit glue clue juice suit
|
|
|
Long Vowels |
Short Vowels |
|
Letter Name |
Long Sound |
Short Sound |
|
A |
/ei/_____may |
/ae/_____ mad |
|
E |
/i/______beat |
/ɛ/______ get |
|
I |
/ai/_____ fine |
/I/_______ did |
|
O |
/ow/____boat |
/a/______ hot |
|
U |
/uw/____food |
/^/______ cut |
When there's only one vowel letter in a word, use the short vowel sound.
|
/æ/ |
/ɛ/ |
/I/ |
/a/ |
/^/ |
|
cat cab sad past snack |
bed ten set rest neck |
in it is this sick |
not top mom cross knock |
nut up sun luck lunch |
|
/æ/ |
/ɛ/ |
/I/ |
/a/ |
/^/ |
|
absolute actually fantastic |
correction inspect better |
beginning chicken interesting |
doctor sorry colleague |
butter budget hundred |
Sometimes we can predict how a word will sound based upon how it is spelled, but often we cannot. Here are some additional rules to help guide your pronunciation.
To begin, listen to these different sounds:
|
Phonetic symbol |
Key Word |
|
/ʃ/ |
shoe |
|
/tʃ/ |
choose |
|
/ʒ/ |
measure |
|
/dʒ/ |
job |
|
/kw/ |
question |
|
/ks/ |
accept |
What sound do you hear?
What sound do you hear?
What sound do you hear?
The Rule: The –ti, -ci-, -ssi-, and ssu- in suffixes (word endings) are additional spellings for the /∫/ sound as in organization.
What sound do you hear?
The Rule: The –tu- in suffixes (word endings) is another spelling for the /tʃ/ sound as in infatuated.
What sound do you hear?
What sound do you hear?
The Rule: The –si- and –su- in suffixes are common spellings for the /ʒ/ sound as in measure and abrasion.
The /dʒ/ sound is commonly spelledj (job) and g (generous).
Show/hide comprehension question...
The Rule: The –du- in the middle of words is another spelling for the / dʒ/ sound as in procedure.
What sound do you hear?
The Rule: The -qu and –qu- spellings are pronounced like the two sounds /kw/.
What sound do you hear?
The Rule: The -x- and -cc- spellings are usually pronounced like the TWO sounds /ks/.
Well Said Linda Grant
American Accent Skills Melody Knoll