Home Page	Spelling Clues	Word Families	Word Fun	Some Rules	More Rules	Weird Words	Grammar

The  Long O sound in English is made with the following letter combinations: -O- ; -OA- ; -O+consonant+E ; -OW ; -O- before LL;  -OU- ; -OUGH.  It might be easier to study these words in groups, or families.  For example, study all of the -OLL words together.  When you know them well, work on the -OW words, and so on.  In addition, I urge you to read as much English as you can, every day, whether English is your native language or a second or third language.  Read soup can or cereal box labels, newspapers, magazines, comics, billboards, street signs, or books.  The more you see these words in print, the better a feel you will develop regarding how the words are used and spelled. 

page break

page break

The Long U sound in English is spelled with -EW-; -OUGH; -OE; -UE; -OO-; -U+consonant+E; -OU.  Here are some examples.  Divide these words up into family groups in order to study them.

Words containing the Long I sound are usually spelled with -i + consonant + Silent E,  with i + ND;  with -igh ; with -Y ; -ie; -ye.  It can be easier to study and learn these words in smaller groups or families; for example, try the -ILE group, or the -IRE group, and so on. 

page break

page brea

There is a common kind of sound in English called a DIPHTHONG that is made up of one vowel sound sliding into another, but only forming one syllable.  The sounds of Long A, Long I and Long O are actually diphthongs, according to language experts, but we treat them as single sounds when  spelling English words.   The following chart will show words containing the diphthong [AU] , meaning an 'ah' sound gliding into an 'oo' sound.  This sound is made with the following letter combinations: -OU- ; -OW- ; -OUGH- ; 

When the letter S sounds like a Z:

There are many words in English that are spelled with an S but are pronounced as if that letter were a Z.  The following list will include many examples, but will not be all that exist.  I will underline the S that sounds like a Z.  Notice that a great number of the Z sounds are at the end of plural forms or Third-person Singular noun forms.  I'm sure there is some Rule that tells us when an S sounds like a Z and when it doesn't, but I don't know that rule.  (It seems to me that when an S is added to a word that ends with the sounds of K, P  or T, the S will sound like S and will not add an extra syllable.  Examples: bike > bikes; whip > whips; cat > cats.  When adding the S also adds an extra syllable, the S will sound like Z (always? usually?). Examples: case > cases; pitch > pitches. Okay, the more I get into this, the more exceptions and variations I can think of, so just learn the words.) 

The next page will  illustrate again the danger of spelling a word in English by the way it sounds or is pronounced.  Click HERE to proceed.

Return to the top of the page.