Words with Short Vowel Sounds

The short vowel sound is made by words with only three letters for a reason. A second vowel is usually not allowed to force the long vowel sound out when three letters are used. Words like “bee” and “tea” are exceptions.

These words employ a second vowel to force the long vowel sound from the first, whereas terms like “ant” and “mat” employ consonant placement to induce a short vowel sound.

However, there is one thing to keep in mind. Short vowel sounds, not short vowel spellings, are given below. That instance, just because a word is short doesn’t guarantee the vowel sound would be short as well.

And the written vowel doesn’t always match the sound it makes. Take, for example, the word “pretty.” The E is pronounced as a short I, while the Y is spoken as a long E. It sounds more like “prit-tee” than “pret-tai” on the phonetic scale.

Similarly, we cannot expect that a big word will have a long vowel sound. Consider the term “business.” The U and E in “business” are also pronounced as a short I, with the I remaining silent. We don’t pronounce it “buss-eye-ness” phonologically. It’s more along the lines of “biz-niss.” With that in mind, let’s look at some more short vowel words, organized alphabetically.

Making Use of Short Vowel Sounds

Despite the fact that the preceding list of words with short vowels is inadequate, you can use it to learn the fundamentals of short vowel sounds. These short vowel sounds are also frequently used in longer words. They can be found in words with lengthy vowel sounds, as well as two-letter words like “in,” “it,” and “at.” Short and long vowel sounds are used in longer words like “magistrate” and “fascinate.”

Depending on the tense of the word, some words use both short and long vowel sounds. When the tense is present, words like “read” are pronounced with the long vowel sound. “We’re reading this list of short vowel words,” for example.

Short Vowel Rule: When there is just one vowel in a word, it usually has the short vowel sound, either at the beginning or between two consonants.

In English, reading and pronouncing words correctly might be difficult. Why does a “E” sound like a “eh” at times and like a “ee” at other times? SOME STUDENTS STILL HAVE PROBLEMS PRONOUNCING, EVEN AFTER YEARS OF PRACTICE.

Don’t give up! There is still hope! :) When I was teaching, I found this essay to be really useful, and I’ve shared it with many of my intermediate/advanced English students. In the article, there are examples and explanations. Before you read it, make sure you know the difference between long and short vowel sounds.

The Basics of Pronunciation:

1. A Short Vowel is a vowel followed by a single consonant at the end of a word.

2. A Short Vowel is a Vowel that is followed by two consonants at the end of a word.

3. A Long Vowel is pronounced when a vowel is the final letter in a word.

4. An E at the end of a word indicates that it is silent. The preceding vowel will be pronounced as a long vowel if it is separated from the E by one or more consonants.

5. In a syllable with two vowels adjacent to each other, the second vowel is silent and the first vowel is pronounced as a long vowel.

6. In the middle of a word, if one consonant follows a vowel, it is pronounced as the first sound in the next syllable.

7. In the middle of a word, if one consonant follows a vowel, it is pronounced as the first sound in the next syllable.

Rules for short vowel pronunciation

a single vowel

A single syllable or monosyllabic word has only one vowel, and that vowel is short. A vowel that is not followed by a consonant is an exception to this rule.

Look at the entire word if the word you’re verifying contains only one syllable. The word “zip,” for example, has only one syllable and the vowel “i.” Isolate the syllable bearing the vowel of interest if the word comprises two or more syllables. The term “unzip,” for example, has two syllables. Isolate the “zip” syllable if you’re interested in the sound of the “i.” To begin, make sure it’s the sole vowel in the syllable.

There are two vowels here.

The first vowel may become long if there are two vowels in a single syllable or monosyllabic word.

Two Vowels

The presence of other vowels in a word might lead a vowel to be long instead of short. The “o” in “hop,” for example, is short, whereas the “o” in “hope” is long. The I in “bit” is short, whereas “biting” has a long “i.” The second example can be thought of in terms of syllables. The syllables “bi” and “ting” are formed when the word “biting” is broken down into syllables. The first syllable’s I is long since it is not followed by a vowel.

Two Consonants

The first vowel will be short if it is followed by two consonants, even if they are followed by another vowel.

The I in “riping,” for example, is long, but the I in “ripping” is short. The two consonants work together to shield the first vowel from the second vowel’s influence. In these worlds, you can also look at the syllables. Separate “riping’s” syllables into “ri” and “ping.” Because there is no consonant after the initial vowel, it is quite long. However, the second word “ripping” would be divided into “rip” and “ping.” It’s short because of the consonant that comes after the I in the first syllable.