Short Vowel Sounds
Kindergarten · English · Study Guide
Learn the five short vowel sounds and find them in simple words.
The alphabet has five special letters called vowels: A, E, I, O, and U. Every single word in English has at least one vowel in it! Vowels can make two different kinds of sounds — a short sound and a long sound. Today we are learning the short sounds.
The short A sound says /a/ like in 'cat,' 'hat,' and 'map.' When you say these words, your mouth opens wide in the middle. The short E sound says /e/ like in 'bed,' 'hen,' and 'net.' The short I sound says /i/ like in 'pig,' 'sit,' and 'big.'
The short O sound says /o/ like in 'dog,' 'hot,' and 'mop.' Your mouth makes a round shape! The short U sound says /u/ like in 'cup,' 'bug,' and 'run.' It is a quick, soft sound.
A trick for remembering all five: think of the sentence 'A elephant is obviously unusual.' Each word starts with a vowel! Short vowel words are usually short words with the pattern consonant-vowel-consonant, like 'cat,' 'pig,' or 'cup.' Knowing short vowels is one of the most important steps in learning to read.
| Vowel | Sound | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| A | /a/ | cat, hat, map, bag |
| E | /e/ | bed, hen, net, leg |
| I | /i/ | pig, sit, big, him |
| O | /o/ | dog, hot, mop, top |
| U | /u/ | cup, bug, run, sun |
Key terms
- vowel
- One of the five special letters: A, E, I, O, U
- short vowel
- A quick vowel sound, like the /a/ in cat or the /i/ in pig
- consonant
- Any letter that is not a vowel
Flashcards
- short A
- The /a/ sound — heard in cat, hat, map, bag
- short E
- The /e/ sound — heard in bed, hen, net, leg
- short I
- The /i/ sound — heard in pig, sit, big, him
- short O
- The /o/ sound — heard in dog, hot, mop, top
- short U
- The /u/ sound — heard in cup, bug, run, sun
- vowel
- One of the five letters A, E, I, O, U — every word has at least one
Practice questions
Which word has the short A sound like in 'cat'?
- bed
- pig
- map
- cup
Show answer
Answer: map
Map contains the short A sound /a/. Bed has short E, pig has short I, cup has short U.
The word 'dog' has a short O sound.
Show answer
Answer: True
Dog has the short O sound /o/ in the middle.
The five vowels are A, E, I, O, and ___ .
Show answer
Answer: U
The five vowels in order are A, E, I, O, and U.
Which word has the short I sound?
- cat
- pig
- bed
- cup
Show answer
Answer: pig
Pig has the short I sound /i/ in the middle. Cat=short A, bed=short E, cup=short U.
The word 'cup' has a short E sound.
Show answer
Answer: False
Cup has a short U sound /u/, not a short E sound.
Fun facts
- The letter E is the most common letter in the English language — you use it more than any other letter!
- Short vowel sounds are called 'short' not because they sound small, but because they were historically pronounced for a shorter amount of time.
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