Student’s Copy
1
English vowel spelling and English vowel sounds
English has only 5 vowel letters. But it has more than 15 vowel sounds. So each vowel
letter is used for more than 1 sound. This means that dictionaries need special symbols to
represent vowel sounds so we don’t get confused by the spelling. All dictionaries use
special symbols, often called phonetic symbols, to give a clear way to show how words
are pronounced.
Exercise 1
Homework
Each dictionary can use different symbols to represent sounds. Fill in the blanks with the
symbols from your dictionary.
Word Textbook
Your dictionary
Another word with this vowel
1. see
/i/
_____________
wheat
2. head
/ɛ/
_____________
_____________
3. day
/e/
_____________
_____________
4. hat
/æ/
_____________
_____________
5. hide
/ɑɪ/
_____________
_____________
6. sit
/ɪ/
_____________
_____________
7. rude
/u/
_____________
_____________
8. book
/ʊ/
_____________
_____________
9. luck
/ʌ/
_____________
_____________
10. bird
/ʌr/
_____________
_____________
11. hope
/o/
_____________
_____________
12. hop
/ɑ-ɔ/*
_____________
_____________
13. talk
/ɑ-ɔ/*
_____________
_____________
14. loud
/ɑʊ/
_____________
_____________
Student’s Copy
15. boy
2
/ɔɪ/
_____________
_____________
* In some areas of North America, these words are pronounced differently ([kɑt] for cot versus [kɔt] for
caught). In other areas, they are pronounced the same (only [kɑt] in the Midwestern and Western U.S. and
only [kɔt] in most of Canada). We will list all words with these sounds as /ɑ-ɔ/.You may use either sound
as you wish.
Exercise 2
One of the three words has a different vowel sound than the others. Listen
and circle the “odd word”. Then write the vowel symbol for each word.
Example
led
/ɛ/
1.
wait
____
passed ____
day
____
2.
cost
____
cold
____
load
____
3.
sum
____
use
____
tool
____
4.
side
____
width ____
tight
____
5.
feel
____
head
____
we
____
6.
fall
____
foul
____
how
____
7.
cast
____
have
____
cage
____
8.
sky
____
fill
____
pint
____
9.
push
____
fool
____
took
____
10.
know ____
talks
____
told
____
11.
loud
fowl
____
low
____
____
said
/ɛ/
weed
/i/