English vowels can seem unpredictable, but they actually follow patterns that work about 80% of the time. This cheat sheet gives you a decision flowchart to predict vowel sounds, plus quick references to all the rules in one place.
Bookmark this page and use it whenever you encounter a new word!
The Decision Flowchart
When you see a vowel in a word, follow these steps in order:
Step 1: Is there a vowel team (two vowels together)?
YES → Use the vowel team sound (see Vowel Teams section below)
NO → Go to Step 2
Step 2: Is there a silent E at the end? (VCE pattern)
YES → The vowel is LONG (says its name): cake /keɪk/, bike /baɪk/, home /hoʊm/
NO → Go to Step 3
Step 3: Does the syllable end with the vowel (open syllable)?
YES → The vowel is LONG: he /hiː/, go /goʊ/, me /miː/
NO → Go to Step 4
Step 4: Is it before -ND, -LD, -ST, or -LT?
YES (with I or O) → Often LONG: kind /kaɪnd/, old /oʊld/, most /moʊst/
NO → Go to Step 5
Step 5: Does the syllable end with a consonant (closed syllable)?
YES → The vowel is SHORT: cat /kæt/, bed /bɛd/, sit /sɪt/
Quick Reference: The 5 Short Vowel Sounds
Short vowels occur in closed syllables (syllables ending with a consonant).
| Letter | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| a | /æ/ | cat, apple, back, hat |
| e | /ɛ/ | bed, egg, red, pet |
| i | /ɪ/ | bit, pin, sit, fish |
| o | /ɑ/ | hot, top, stop, not |
| u | /ʌ/ | cup, sun, run, but |
→ Full guide: Short vs Long Vowels
Quick Reference: The 5 Long Vowel Sounds
Long vowels "say their name" and occur in open syllables, VCE patterns, and vowel teams.
| Letter | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| a | /eɪ/ | cake, name, day, rain |
| e | /iː/ | me, tree, clean, these |
| i | /aɪ/ | bike, time, fly, kind |
| o | /oʊ/ | home, boat, go, old |
| u | /uː/ | cute, blue, few, music |
The Three Main Long Vowel Patterns
Pattern 1: Silent E (VCE)
Vowel + Consonant + silent E = Long vowel
| Short | + Silent E | Sound Change |
|---|---|---|
| mat /mæt/ | mate /meɪt/ | short → long A |
| pet /pɛt/ | Pete /piːt/ | short → long E |
| bit /bɪt/ | bite /baɪt/ | short → long I |
| hop /hɑp/ | hope /hoʊp/ | short → long O |
| cub /kʌb/ | cube /kjuːb/ | short → long U |
→ Full guide: The Magic of Silent E
Pattern 2: Open Syllables
When a syllable ends with a vowel (no consonant after), the vowel is long.
→ Full guide: Syllable Division Rules
Pattern 3: Vowel Teams
Two vowels together usually make one sound (often long).
| Team | Sound | Examples | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| ai, ay | /eɪ/ (long A) | rain, day | Very reliable |
| ee | /iː/ (long E) | see, tree | Very reliable |
| oa | /oʊ/ (long O) | boat, coat | Very reliable |
| ea | /iː/ or /ɛ/ or /eɪ/ | read, bread, great | Tricky! |
| ow | /oʊ/ or /aʊ/ | snow, cow | Tricky! |
| igh | /aɪ/ (long I) | light, night | Very reliable |
→ Full guide: Vowel Teams and Digraphs
Special Rule: I and O Before Consonant Clusters
I and O often stay long before -ND, -LD, -ST, -LT:
| Pattern | Long Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ind | /aɪnd/ | kind, find, mind, blind |
| -ild | /aɪld/ | wild, child, mild |
| -old | /oʊld/ | old, cold, bold, gold |
| -ost | /oʊst/ | most, post, host, ghost |
| -olt | /oʊlt/ | bolt, colt, jolt |
Exceptions: wind (air), hint, cost, lost, soft
→ Full guide: I and O Before Two Consonants
The Exception List: Words to Memorize
These common words break the rules. Memorize them:
VCE Words with Short Vowels (Should Be Long, But Aren't)
| Word | Expected | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| have | /heɪv/ | /hæv/ |
| give | /gaɪv/ | /gɪv/ |
| live (verb) | /laɪv/ | /lɪv/ |
| come | /koʊm/ | /kʌm/ |
| some | /soʊm/ | /sʌm/ |
| done | /doʊn/ | /dʌn/ |
| love | /loʊv/ | /lʌv/ |
| gone | /goʊn/ | /gɔːn/ |
| one | /oʊn/ | /wʌn/ |
| none | /noʊn/ | /nʌn/ |
Open Syllable Words with Unexpected Sounds
| Word | Expected | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| do | /doʊ/ | /duː/ |
| to | /toʊ/ | /tuː/ |
| who | /hoʊ/ | /huː/ |
| the | /ðiː/ | /ðə/ |
Y as a Vowel: Quick Rules
| Position | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| End of 1-syllable word | /aɪ/ (long I) | my, fly, try, cry |
| End of multi-syllable word | /iː/ (long E) | happy, baby, candy |
| Middle of word | /ɪ/ (short I) | gym, myth, system |
Print-Friendly Flowchart
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VOWEL SOUND DECISION TREE │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Is there a vowel team? │
│ (ai, ee, oa, ea...) │
└─────────────────────────┘
│ │
YES NO
│ │
▼ ▼
Use vowel team ┌─────────────────────┐
sound pattern │ Is there silent E │
│ at the end? (VCE) │
└─────────────────────┘
│ │
YES NO
│ │
▼ ▼
LONG VOWEL ┌─────────────────┐
│ Open syllable? │
│ (ends in vowel) │
└─────────────────┘
│ │
YES NO
│ │
▼ ▼
LONG VOWEL ┌────────────────┐
│ Before -ND, │
│ -LD, -ST, -LT? │
└────────────────┘
│ │
YES NO
│ │
▼ ▼
Often LONG SHORT VOWEL
(check (closed
exceptions) syllable)
Practice: Test Yourself
Use the flowchart to predict these vowel sounds:
- train → Vowel team (ai) → Long A /eɪ/ ✓
- hope → VCE pattern → Long O /oʊ/ ✓
- cat → Closed syllable → Short A /æ/ ✓
- kind → Before -ND → Long I /aɪ/ ✓
- me → Open syllable → Long E /iː/ ✓
Now try these (answers at bottom):
- boat
- fish
- home
- cold
- happy
Answers: 1) Long O (vowel team oa), 2) Short I (closed syllable), 3) Long O (VCE), 4) Long O (-old pattern), 5) Short A + Long E (closed syllable + Y ending)
Related Guides
For deeper understanding, explore these detailed guides:
- Short vs Long Vowels: The Foundation
- The Magic of Silent E
- Vowel Teams and Digraphs
- Syllable Division Rules
- I and O Before Two Consonants
- The Schwa Sound
- R-Controlled Vowels
The Bottom Line
English vowel pronunciation follows patterns about 80% of the time. The remaining 20% are high-frequency exceptions that need to be memorized. Use this flowchart as your starting point, and you'll be right most of the time.
Remember: When in doubt, check a dictionary! Every dictionary shows pronunciation in IPA, which removes all guesswork.