/ / means a speech sound inside the slashes.
is a breve, and indicates the short vowel sound (ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ).
is a macron, and indicates the long vowel sound (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū).
When /k/ immediately follows a single vowel in a 1 syllable word, it is spelled “ck” (e.g.,
pack).
When /k/ immediately follows a vowel at the end of a 2+ syllable word, it is spelled with a
“c” (e.g., panic, fantastic).
“Floss” or “Bonus” Rule: When f, l, or s (and sometimes z) immediately follow a short
vowel and ends a 1-syllable word, that consonant is doubled (e.g., buff, will).
c says the soft sound /s/ when followed by e, i, or y (e.g., cent).
g often says the soft sound /j/ when followed by e, i, or y (e.g., gentle).
s can say /z/ when it is between two vowels (e.g., ease).
Y acts as a vowel and says /ī/ at the end of a 1 syllable word (e.g., my).
Y acts as a vowel and says /ē/ at the end of a multisyllabic word (e.g., pony).
Y acts as a vowel and says /ĭ/ in a closed syllable (e.g., gym).
Overworked, Underpaid Silent ‘e’:
• Makes the first vowel say the long sound in a vowel-consonant-e syllable.
• Acts as the vowel in a consonant –le syllable.
• Changes the letters ‘g’ & ‘c’ to the soft sound.
• Ends a word following the letter ‘v’ (e.g., gave, love, receive, serve).
• Ends some words ending with ‘s’ to avoid confusion of a plural (e.g., please).
Vowels and Consonants: The Missing Foundation
Some students—even older ones—are not sure which letters are vowels and which are
consonants. This lack of certainty makes attacking multi-syllabic words very difficult!
If you suspect lack of certainty, write a word that contains 2 or 3 vowels and ask students
which letters are vowels and which are consonants. If they hesitate, or answer in error,
conduct vowel-consonant differentiation instruction for several days in a row. Then revisit
these concepts regularly.