Words with long i sounds

Long Vowel Sounds: Word Lists & Activities

Phonics | Spelling

ByDelilah Orpi

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In this post, I’m breaking down long vowel sounds (or long vowel words) to help you teach them when working with struggling readers and spellers.

Looking for long vowel word lists? Download all 5 of my pdf long vowel sounds word lists in my freebies library by joining my email list below.

What is a long vowel sound?

Long vowel sounds are vowels that are pronounced the same as their name. You’ll often hear teachers say that long vowels “say their name”.

Long vowels are very common but they can be tricky because there are so many spellings for each long vowel sound.

There are actually 4 ways to make long vowel sounds:

1. Vowels at the end of a syllable make the long sound. For example, in the words me and halo (ha-lo) the vowels are all at the end of a syllable so they make the long sound.
2. Silent e makes the previous vowel long. The words bike and phone have a silent e at the end that makes the previous vowel long.
3. Vowel teams can make the long sound. Vowel teams work together to make one sound, and usually, it’s a long vowel sound. For example, boat and meat both have vowel teams that make the long sound.
4. I or O can be long when they come before two consonants. In words like cold and mind, i and o make a long vowel sound.

Long Vowel Words

Long vowel sound words are words that have vowels that say their name. Below are a few examples:

• Long a – baby, cake, rain, day, they, weigh
• Long e – me, eve, hear, meet, piece, candy
• Long i – silent, bike, light, my
• Long o – go, home, toe, boat, snow
• Long u – music, mule, pew, feud

Long A Sound

The long a sound can be represented by 8 different spelling patterns:

1. a – baby
2. a_e – cake
3. ai – rain
4. ay – play
5. ei – reindeer
6. eigh – weight
7. ea – steak
8. ey – they

Learn more about teaching the long a sound here, and check out my Long A Words Activities & Worksheets for printable activities.

Long E Sound

The long e sound can be represented by 8 different spelling patterns:

1. e – be
2. e_e – eve
3. ee – meet
4. ea – beach
5. ei – protein
6. ie – piece
7. ey – key
8. y – candy

For ideas, tips, and tricks when teaching the long e sound, read this post all about teaching the long e vowel sound, and check out my Long E Words Activities & Worksheets  for printable activities.

Long I Sound

The long i sound can be represented by 6 different spelling patterns:

1. i – silent
2. i_e – shine
3. ie – pie
4. igh – light
5. y – my
6. y_e – type

You can learn more about teaching the long I sound in this post. And check out my Long I Worksheets set in my shop for printable activities on the long i sound.

Long O Sound

The long o sound can be represented by 5 different spelling patterns:

1. o – go
2. o_e – phone
3. oe – toe
4. oa – boat
5. ow – snow

You can learn more about teaching long o words and check out my long o worksheets.

Long U Sound

The long u has two sounds: yoo (/y/ /oo/) and oo (/oo/).

The long u sound can be represented by 7 different spelling patterns:

1. u – music
2. u_e – mule
3. ue – rescue
4. eu – feud
5. ew – few
6. oo – food
7. ou – soup

Learn more about teaching the long u sound here.

Tips for teaching the long vowel sounds

Teach one spelling pattern at a time!

I don’t mean one vowel sound, but just one spelling pattern. So for example, if you’re working on long a, you would work on the spelling pattern a silent e (cake, same, cave) until students have mastered it, then move on to ai, and so on. You should not be teaching multiple spelling patterns together, even though they make the same sound.

I know that most programs out there combine all the long vowel sound spelling patterns into one lesson, especially in spelling lists, but this does not work for struggling readers. You need to break it down for them and only do one at a time.

Teach the syllable types.

Because syllables have a lot to do with whether vowels make the short or long sound, if students do not already know the 6 syllable types then teach them along with the long vowel sound.

Here are resources for each syllable type:

• closed syllable
• open syllable
• final silent e syllable
• vowel team syllable
• r combination syllable
• consonant le syllable

Use a variety of activities to practice each spelling pattern.

Games, dictation, word sorts, memory or matching with flashcards, word hunts, textured writing, body spelling, and bingo are all fun ways to practice the long vowel sounds.

The main activity that is often overlooked is dictation. It seems so simple but the task involves listening to a word, deciding on the spelling, and transferring that info to written form. These are all skills that struggling readers need to practice.

Teach the spelling generalizations.

Some of the long vowel spelling patterns are spelling rules that make it easy to remember.

For example, ai is usually found at the beginning or middle of a syllable, and ay is usually found at the end of a syllable. [Examples: rain, aim, play, daytime]

Here is another example with long o: oa is usually found at the beginning or middle of a word, and ow is usually found at the end. [Examples: boat, coach, snow]

Long Vowel Word List

I made these word lists to help teach the long vowels. I find it handy to have these on hand when playing phonics games or planning activities for long vowel lessons.

Grab them for free below!

Want to remember this? Save Long Vowel Sounds: Word Lists & Activities to your favorite Pinterest board!

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Delilah Orpi

Delilah Orpi is the owner and founder of Thrive Literacy Corner. She has a Bachelor's degree in Special Education, a Master's degree in TESOL, and is a member of the International Dyslexia Association. She is an experienced educator and literacy specialist trained in Orton Gillingham and Lindamood Bell. Delilah creates literacy resources for educators and parents and writes to create awareness about dyslexia and effective literacy instruction based on the science of reading.

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173+ Long i Vowel Sound Words (Free Printable List)

Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Long Vowels | Vowels

ByKatie August 22, 2022October 24, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Learn all about long i and the six ways to spell the long i vowel sound: i, i-e, igh, y, y-e, and ie. You will also snag your own free printable list with 173 words with long i vowel sounds!

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Table of Contents

• All About Long i
• Long i Sound Words
• FAQ & Info
• Related Posts
• Download & Print

All About Long i

Just as with all long vowels, the long vowel sound is the same as the letter name.

• Long a says /ā/ like acorn.
• Long e says /ē/ like equal.
• Long i says /ī/ like ice.
• Long o says /ō/ like ocean.
• Long u says /yoo/ like unicorn, OR /oo/ like ruler.

I usually teach my students a little jingle to remember the sound long vowels make. We pound on the table and chant, “Long vowels say their names.” My students really respond positively to this, and it helps them to remember the sounds of long vowels!

Long i can be spelled 6 different ways: i, i-e, igh, y, y-e, and ie. All of these spelling patterns can result in the long i vowel sound. Examples include:

• i like lion.
• i-e like bike.
• igh like light.
• y like fly.
• y_e like type.
• ie like pie.

Long i Sound Words

👉 Scroll to the bottom to download our free, comprehensive long i word list PDF!

i – Open Syllable Words & Wild/Old Words

The letter i by itself will say its long sound when it is the last letter in a syllable. This is called an open syllable. Think about words like hi, li/on, and pi/lot. Since the syllables end in the single letter i, the vowel will make its long i sound.

👉 Exceptions: We also hear the long i sound in many common, but irregular closed syllable words that break the rules.

These ‘exceptions to the rule’ are one-syllable words that end in -ild, -ilt, -ind, and -ist. These are sometimes referred to as Wild, Old Words.

Words with open syllable and wild or old words with long i sound:

i-e (Long i with Silent E)

This pattern follows a VCe pattern and results in the letter i saying its name.

Use the sight word ‘like’ to teach this spelling pattern. Write it on the board and ask your students to read it. Because this word is usually one of the first sight words children learn, they should know it automatically.)

Follow this general script:

1. Teacher: Tap the sounds you hear in the word like. How many sounds do you hear?
2. Students: /l/ /ī/ /k/ = 3 sounds.
3. Teacher: But we see four letters! When we see i-consonant-e pattern in words, the i will say its long sound. That’s why ‘like’ has a long vowel sound in the middle. Without the letter e at the end, it would say ‘lick.’ Now imagine you raised your hand in class and said “I like my dog.” That magic e at the end is so important because, without it, my sentence would say “I lick my dog.” (Kids always get a hoot out of using this example in a sentence.)

Words with long i with silent e with long i sound:

igh – Vowel Team

Refer to this spelling pattern as “igh – 3 letter i. ” It’s a three-letter vowel team. This phonogram is totally irregular and cannot be sounded out.

We learned from The ABC’s and All Their Tricks that this spelling is actually a remnant of Old English and Old German, which is why it looks so strange to us!

Words with vowel team igh with long I sound:

y – Vowel

Remember told old saying: “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. ” Well, let’s teach our students the rules for when the letter y actually is considered a vowel. They can know for sure when that “sometimes” really occurs.

👉 Y is considered a vowel when it comes at the end of a syllable or word.
👉 When Y is at the end of a root word, it makes the long i sound.

Multisyllabic words where the vowel y makes the long I sound:

y-e (Long Y with Silent E)

When y is in the middle of a word, it is also considered a vowel.

When a syllable follows a y-consonant-silent e pattern, the y makes the long i sound. Many of these words come from Greek, and the y makes the sound of i.

ie – Vowel Team

IE is a vowel team. When it comes at the end of a root, it makes the long vowel i sound.

There are only a handful of words that include this vowel team, so teaching these four words together as a word family may be a better approach than teaching and reviewing the vowel team.

FAQ & Info

What are the best ways to teach long vowels?

Begin by solidifying the difference between long and short vowels. Use hands-on activities, manipulatives, and orthographic mapping activities. Vowel sorts are also great activities.

Should I teach all long vowel spellings at the same time?

You should not teach all long vowel patterns at the same time. Follow a scope and sequence that targets skills systematically to build a solid foundation.

Do I use all the words on the Long Vowel Word List?

Only choose words from the list that follow the phonics skills you’ve already taught. For example: When teaching the long y spelling for long i, do not use the word “city” with students if you haven’t already taught the soft sound of c says /s/.

Related Posts

👉 Get the rest of the printable Long Vowel Word Lists: Long A, Long E, Long O, and Long U!

• Long & Short Vowel Sorts
• Silent E Worksheets
• Magic Wand Silent E Printable

Download & Print

We hope you can use many of the words on this list as you teach the long i vowel sound. Please comment below or tag us on Instagram @Literacylearn to tell us your best tips for teaching long i.

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Pronunciation of English sounds [u:, ju:]

The sound [ u: ] is a long and intense sound. When pronouncing the sound [ u: ], the tongue is slightly retracted from the lower teeth, the lips are rounded, but do not protrude forward as when pronouncing the Russian sound [ u ].

The sound combination [ ju: ] is similar in longitude and intensity to the sound [ u: ]. In order to pronounce it, you must begin with a short sound [ j ], changing to a long sound [ u: ].

The sound combination [ ju: ] is similar to the Russian sound [ yu ], if you pronounce it without protruding your lips.

Compare:

The English sound [ u: ] and the sound combination [ ju: ] sound in the following English words:

Long sound [ u: ] in the letter is transmitted:

• letter combination oo + any consonant except k , for example: spoon, room, pool, cool, boot, school

• the letter u preceded by the letter l and followed by the silent e , for example: blue, clue

  The exception is the letter combination ou , which in the word soup reads like [ u: ]

The sound combination [ ju: ] in the letter is transmitted:

• letter combination ew : new

• letter u followed by a consonant + silent vowel e , for example: tune

  An exception is after the sounds [ l ], [ r ] the letter u is read as [ u: ]: ruler, blue

Sounds uː, ʊ, ʊǝ - examples, pronunciation, tongue twisters

We continue the phonetic rubric, the slogan of which is: English sounds are not equal to Russian ones. To learn the correct pronunciation, we have developed a recipe: we take a “bunch” of similar sounds, compare them with each other and with their Russian counterparts. Then we practice pronunciation and literally “train” the speech apparatus to the correct position with the help of several dozen example words and tongue twisters.

A line from a famous song will help to fix the result, which will be engraved in the auditory memory and will not let you forget the sound!

Today we will take sounds similar to the Russian sound |у| is a long diphthongoid |uː|, short |ʊ| and the diphthong |ʊǝ|.

Long sound |uː| – round but not stick out

Pronounced in words goose, too, rule , etc. This sound is very similar to ours, but there are two main differences:

1. English | uː | is a diphthongoid. That is, this is one sound, but we hear in it the “overtone” of the second sound (also | u |, but deeper), because the tongue and lips slightly change their position during pronunciation: the tongue moves back and up in the oral cavity. The lips are visibly rounded at the beginning and become even more rounded as the tongue moves.

2. To speak English | uː | lips are rounded, but not protruding forward. To see the difference, compare the two pictures. At the first, Russian-speaking singer Keti Topuria pronounces the word " at I fly" in the song of the same name. In the second picture, the English-speaking presenter from the previous video says one of the example words.

Think you can see the difference? 🙂

As a bonus, I'll tell you about one more important point: in combination | ju: |, which may remind you of the sounds of our letter "yu" (as in the word " yu la" ) - the preceding vowel is not softened! For example, in the words f ew, n ew, t une - we first pronounce the hard consonant and only then raise the middle back of the tongue to the hard palate for | | ju: |.

Got it? Did you catch the differences? We begin to work out the correct position on a set of words.

goose |ɡuːs|

who |huː|

through |θruː|

few |fjuː|

group |ɡruːp|

move |muːv|

you |juː|

threw |θruː|

yew |juː|

too |tuː|

tool|tuːl|

tooth |tuːθ|

cool |kuːl |

rule |ruːl |

school |skuːl |

use |juːz|

tune |tjuːn|

fool |fuːl |

soon |suːn|

new |njuː|

do |duː|

two |tuː|

view |vjuː|

blue |bluː|

Now we complicate the task: we pronounce tongue twisters. Long sound | u: | Highlighted in them with fat:

• A SCH OO L'R U Sually InCl U des Seaf OO OU T. DLES and ST EW FRED FRED FRED FRE . A and niversity’s men0027 oo ms and fr ui t j ui ce.
• A C U TE B EAU TY SAL N U Sually U SES PERF U ME, SHAMP and T OO ThPASTE PRODE ULPAS
• J u dy's r oo m has a b eau tiful vi ew of a p oo l, L u cy's r oo m has a b eau tiful vi ew of r

  Pronounced in the words look, good, book , etc. It also differs significantly from Russian | at |. Firstly, the position of the tongue: it is not tense, pulled back, but not very far (in the Russian version, the tongue is pulled back further). The back of the tongue rises to the front of the soft palate not so high - up to half the distance.

  The second important difference is the position of the lips: they don't round as much. In fact, the lips need to be rounded, as for our | o |, but the mouth is not open so wide. The lips hardly protrude.

  Let's start the practice with words. Take the desired position of the mouth - and get to work!

  could |kʊd|

  full |fʊl|

  foot |fʊt|

  pull |pʊl|

  should |ʃʊd|

  look |lʊk|

  put |pʊt|

  good |ɡʊd|

  took |tʊk|

  book |bʊk|

  hook |hʊk|

  crook |krʊk|

  brook |brʊk|

  cook |kʊk|

  took |tʊk|

  bull|bʊl|

  hood |hʊd|

  would |wʊd|

  wool |wʊl |

  push |pʊʃ|

  puss |pʊs|

  soot |sʊt|

  woman | ˈwʊmən|

  sugar | ˈʃʊɡə ^r |

  The next step - tongue twisters with sound | ʊ |.

  • A G OO D-L OO King W O MAN C OO KS C OO Kies with U OO SEBERRY FROMA AS oo k.
  • G OO D F U Llers are G OO D at U Lening W OO L, G OO D C OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO 900 oo kies, g oo d b oo kmen are g oo d at f oo tnoting b oo ks. C ou ld g oo d b oo ksellers be g oo d at b oo king b oo ks?
  • A c oo k's b OO Kshelf is F U LL of C OO KB OO KS, A B OO Kman’s B OO KCASE IS F U LL of G D D B KS.

  And the last thing is the song. For this sound, I propose to dwell on the song of the singer La'Porsha Renae - "Good Woman".

  You got a g oo d g oo d g oo d g oo d w0232
  Cuz i'm a Real G OO D G D G OO D Good W O MAN (Woman) BUT EVEN GO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO 900 what you p u t me through

  |ʊǝ| What is a diphthong?

  Pronounced in words pure, sec u rity, tour and others . Let's start the conversation with what a diphthong is in principle. This is a combination of two vowels that are in one syllable . That is, when pronouncing this sound, the position of the speech apparatus changes , but at the same time you pronounce these “two sounds” together, without dividing them into syllables (as you divide, for example, in the Russian word p oe t - where "to" and "et" are two separate syllables).

  Do not confuse diphthong and diphthong oid (like the long |u: | we talked about above). In the diphthong and the “overtone of the second sound” is similar in quality to the main sound, and in the diphthong the two components of the sound are very different from each other.

  In a diphthong, one part is a syllable-forming core (strong sound), and the second is a weak, muffled sound (I would say “sound echo”).

  In our today's diphthong | ʊǝ | syllable-forming element is the sound | ʊ | (we just learned how to pronounce it). The second weak element is the “seam” sound, which we talked about in another article. Only within this diphthong does it become even more faceless and unexpressed.

  I must say right away that this diphthong in English is not so frequent. Moreover, in some words in modern English it is replaced by either the sound | ɔ: |, or simply on | ʊ | (especially in American English), or into 2 syllables: long sound | u: | + | ə |. Read more here.

  But still, I suggest you practice its pronunciation. First, do the following: say the word look |lʊk| several times (just in case, follow the link and speak along with the voice acting). Now, without changing the position for the sound | ʊ |, say the word lure |lʊə ^r |. Ready!

  Next, we begin to practice on other words. I repeat: there are not many of them.

  tour |tʊə ^r |

  pure |pjʊə ^r |

  cure |kjʊər|

  lure |lʊə ^r |

  during | ˈdjʊərɪŋ|

  security |sɪˈkjʊərəti |

  endure |ɪnˈdjʊə ^r |

  furious | ˈfjʊəriəs|

  fury | ˈfjʊəri |

  impure |ɪmˈpjʊə ^r |

  manicure | ˈmænɪkjʊə ^r |

  neuron | njʊərɒn|

  spurious | ˈspjʊəriəs|

  Let's not skip a step with tongue twisters:

  • I'll s ure ly speak fl ue ntly after a t ou r to Eu rope.
  • The j u ry got f u rious and m ur ed the p oo r p u ritan.
  • The M Oor S Havy Always L URA D SIR C UR IE, BUT D U Ring HIS T OU R to the M OO RS P R SIR C UR UR UR URA URA UR ie was cr ue lly removed from his b ureau for truancy.

  In conclusion - a song. I settled on "Pure Love" by Ronnie Milsap (word pure ).

  Pure love, baby it's pure love
  Milk and honey and Captain Krunch and you in the morning

  Let's sum it up: analogues of Russian |у|

  1. Long tone | u: | unlike ours, it is diphthongoid (the speech apparatus slightly changes its position during pronunciation): the tongue moves back and up in the oral cavity.

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