Vowels And Consonants
Spoken Description
Learn English vowels and consonants: identify sounds, study spelling rules, practice pronunciation with phonetic symbols and spelling patterns, and compare similar sounds for clearer speech and improved spelling.
Aprende las vocales y consonantes del inglés: identifica sonidos, aprende reglas de ortografía, práctica la pronunciación con símbolos fonéticos y patrones de escritura, y compara sonidos similares para mejorar la claridad.
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English sounds are made from vowels and consonants, and small differences can change meaning. This guide explains the key vowel and consonant sounds with examples to help you hear and produce them.
Vowels
Vowels are sounds made with an open vocal tract and can be short, long, or diphthongs (gliding between two sounds). They carry the tone and melody of speech.
Short Vowels
Short vowels occur in unstressed syllables and in words like cat, bed, sit, pot, and cup. They are quick and relaxed.
| Word | Short Vowel Sound | |
|---|---|---|
| cat | /æ/ | |
| bed | /ɛ/ | |
| sit | /ɪ/ | |
| pot | /ɒ/ | |
| cup | /ʌ/ |
The(short vowel word) chased the mouse.
Fill in the blank with a short vowel word from the list (short vowel word in English)
Long Vowels
Long vowels are held longer and often occur in stressed syllables. They appear in words like sheep, cake, more, food, and bird.
| Word | Long Vowel Sound | |
|---|---|---|
| sheep | /iː/ | |
| cake | /eɪ/ | |
| more | /ɔː/ | |
| food | /uː/ | |
| bird | /ɜː/ |
The(long vowel word) grazes in the field.
Fill in the blank with a long vowel word (long vowel word)
Diphthongs
Diphthongs glide from one vowel sound to another within the same syllable. Common diphthongs occur in words like coin, loud, make, boy, and near.
| Word | Diphthong Sound | |
|---|---|---|
| coin | /ɔɪ/ | |
| loud | /aʊ/ | |
| make | /eɪ/ | |
| boy | /ɔɪ/ | |
| near | /ɪə/ |
The thunder was(diphthong word) and shook the windows.
Fill in the blank with a diphthong word (diphthong word)
Consonants
Consonants are sounds made by narrowing or blocking airflow with the lips, tongue, or throat. They can be voiced (using the vocal cords) or voiceless.
Voiced And Voiceless Pairs
Many consonants come in pairs where one is voiced and the other is voiceless. For example, /p/ (voiceless) and /b/ (voiced), or /f/ (voiceless) and /v/ (voiced).
| Voiceless Consonant | Voiced Consonant | |
|---|---|---|
| /p/ | /b/ | |
| /t/ | /d/ | |
| /k/ | /ɡ/ | |
| /f/ | /v/ | |
| /s/ | /z/ |
Common Consonant Sounds
English has a range of consonant sounds such as /tʃ/ (as in church), /dʒ/ (as in judge), /θ/ (as in think), and /ð/ (as in this). These sounds can be challenging for learners because they do not exist in all languages.
They visited the old(affricate word) in the town center.
Fill in the blank with a word containing /tʃ/ (affricate word)
Summary
Vowels shape the melody of English and include short, long, and diphthong sounds. Consonants give clarity and include voiced and voiceless pairs plus unique sounds like /θ/ and /ð/. Practice each sound slowly and listen carefully to improve your pronunciation.
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