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 โ Use the vowel team sound (see Vowel Teams section below)
NO โ Go to Step 2
Step 2: Is there a silent E at the end? (VCE pattern)
YES โ The vowel is LONG (says its name): cake /keษชk/, bike /baษชk/, home /hoสm/
NO โ Go to Step 3
Step 3: Does the syllable end with the vowel (open syllable)?
YES โ The vowel is LONG: he /hiห/, go /goส/, me /miห/
NO โ Go to Step 4
Step 4: Is it before -ND, -LD, -ST, or -LT?
YES (with I or O) โ Often LONG: kind /kaษชnd/, old /oสld/, most /moสst/
NO โ Go to Step 5
Step 5: Does the syllable end with a consonant (closed syllable)?
YES โ The vowel is SHORT: cat /kรฆt/, bed /bษd/, sit /sษชt/
Quick Reference: The 5 Short Vowel Sounds
Short vowels occur in closed syllables (syllables ending with a consonant).
| Letter | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| a | /รฆ/ | cat, apple, back, hat |
| e | /ษ/ | bed, egg, red, pet |
| i | /ษช/ | bit, pin, sit, fish |
| o | /ษ/ | hot, top, stop, not |
| u | /ส/ | cup, sun, run, but |
โ 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 | /eษช/ | cake, name, day, rain |
| e | /iห/ | me, tree, clean, these |
| i | /aษช/ | bike, time, fly, kind |
| o | /oส/ | home, boat, go, old |
| u | /uห/ | 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 /mรฆt/ | mate /meษชt/ | short โ long A |
| pet /pษt/ | Pete /piหt/ | short โ long E |
| bit /bษชt/ | bite /baษชt/ | short โ long I |
| hop /hษp/ | hope /hoสp/ | short โ long O |
| cub /kสb/ | cube /kjuหb/ | short โ long U |
โ 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.
โ Full guide: Syllable Division Rules
Pattern 3: Vowel Teams
Two vowels together usually make one sound (often long).
| Team | Sound | Examples | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| ai, ay | /eษช/ (long A) | rain, day | Very reliable |
| ee | /iห/ (long E) | see, tree | Very reliable |
| oa | /oส/ (long O) | boat, coat | Very reliable |
| ea | /iห/ or /ษ/ or /eษช/ | read, bread, great | Tricky! |
| ow | /oส/ or /aส/ | snow, cow | Tricky! |
| igh | /aษช/ (long I) | light, night | Very reliable |
โ 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 | /aษชnd/ | kind, find, mind, blind |
| -ild | /aษชld/ | wild, child, mild |
| -old | /oสld/ | old, cold, bold, gold |
| -ost | /oสst/ | most, post, host, ghost |
| -olt | /oสlt/ | bolt, colt, jolt |
Exceptions: wind (air), hint, cost, lost, soft
โ 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 | /heษชv/ | /hรฆv/ |
| give | /gaษชv/ | /gษชv/ |
| live (verb) | /laษชv/ | /lษชv/ |
| come | /koสm/ | /kสm/ |
| some | /soสm/ | /sสm/ |
| done | /doสn/ | /dสn/ |
| love | /loสv/ | /lสv/ |
| gone | /goสn/ | /gษหn/ |
| one | /oสn/ | /wสn/ |
| none | /noสn/ | /nสn/ |
Open Syllable Words with Unexpected Sounds
| Word | Expected | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| do | /doส/ | /duห/ |
| to | /toส/ | /tuห/ |
| who | /hoส/ | /huห/ |
| the | /รฐiห/ | /รฐษ/ |
Y as a Vowel: Quick Rules
| Position | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| End of 1-syllable word | /aษช/ (long I) | my, fly, try, cry |
| End of multi-syllable word | /iห/ (long E) | happy, baby, candy |
| Middle of word | /ษช/ (short I) | gym, myth, system |
Print-Friendly Flowchart
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ VOWEL SOUND DECISION TREE โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ
โผ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Is there a vowel team? โ
โ (ai, ee, oa, ea...) โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ
YES NO
โ โ
โผ โผ
Use vowel team โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
sound pattern โ Is there silent E โ
โ at the end? (VCE) โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ
YES NO
โ โ
โผ โผ
LONG VOWEL โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Open syllable? โ
โ (ends in vowel) โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ
YES NO
โ โ
โผ โผ
LONG VOWEL โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Before -ND, โ
โ -LD, -ST, -LT? โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ
YES NO
โ โ
โผ โผ
Often LONG SHORT VOWEL
(check (closed
exceptions) syllable)
Practice: Test Yourself
Use the flowchart to predict these vowel sounds:
- train โ Vowel team (ai) โ Long A /eษช/ โ
- hope โ VCE pattern โ Long O /oส/ โ
- cat โ Closed syllable โ Short A /รฆ/ โ
- kind โ Before -ND โ Long I /aษช/ โ
- me โ Open syllable โ Long E /iห/ โ
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.