Long U / OO Spelling Patterns

We know that the long u sound says its name. It can also say long oo. But how many ways are there to spell these long vowel sounds? Here I’ve divided up the spelling patterns by long u and long oo sounds. There are FOUR common spelling patterns that can make BOTH long u and long oo sounds, and THREE common spelling patterns for just the long oo sound.

It is worth acknowledging that in a limited number of words, the long oo sound can also be spelled as o (as in do, lose, move, prove, and to); oe (as is canoe and shoe); and ough (as in through). However, these spelling patterns are so far and few between for the long oo sound that they are not included in this chart as a main go-to for spelling patterns of this sound.

Knowing these different spelling patterns for these sounds is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

U

Can spell the long u and long oo sounds most often at the end of a syllable. Ex: music; tulip

An exception is the single-syllable word truth.

U_E

Can spell the long u and long oo sounds when the silent final e makes the u say its name or long oo. Ex: huge; flute

EW

Can spell the long u and long oo sounds most often at the end of a base word. Ex: few; threw

UE

Can spell the long u and long oo sounds most often at the end of a base word. Ex: argue; glue

OO

Can spell the long oo sound in the middle or end of a word. Ex: pool; igloo

OU

Can spell the long oo sound in the middle of a word. Ex: soup

The exception is the word you.

UI

Can spell the long oo sound in the middle of a word. Ex: fruit

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long u and oo sounds, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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Long O Spelling Patterns

We know that the long o sound says its name. But how many ways are there to spell this long vowel sound? There are FIVE common ways to spell the long o sound. (I include 6 examples in the chart below because of the two different spelling rules — or generalizations — about the o spelling pattern.)

It is worth acknowledging that the long o sound can also be spelled as oo (as in door and floor); ou (as is soul); and ough (as in though and dough). However, these spelling patterns are so far and few between for the long o sound that they are not included in this chart as a main go-to for spelling patterns of this sound.

Knowing these different spelling patterns for this one sound is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the five spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

O

Can spell the long o sound at the end of a syllable or when followed by two consonants. Ex: robot; gold

O_E

Can spell the long o sound when the silent final e makes the o say its name. Ex: cone

OA

Can spell the long o sound at the beginning or in the middle of a base word. Ex: oat; coat

OE

Can spell the long o sound at the end of a word. Ex: toe

OW

Can spell the long o sound at the end of a base word. Ex: snow

Note: The placement of the ow will sometimes shift to the middle of a single syllable word when that word changes form (such as to past participle), and almost exclusively when it ends in n. Examples: grown, known, flown. The word bowl is also an exception.

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long o sound, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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Long I Spelling Patterns

We know that the long i sound says its name. But how many ways are there to spell this long vowel sound? There are FIVE different ways to spell the long i sound. (I include 6 examples in the chart below because of the two different spelling rules — or generalizations — about the i spelling pattern.) Knowing these different spelling patterns for this one sound is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the five spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

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I

Can spell the long i sound at the end of a syllable or when followed by two consonants. Ex: lion; child

I_E

Can spell the long i sound when the silent final e makes the i say its name. Ex: lime

IE

Native English words cannot end in i, and so requires a silent final e to be added. The word pie ends in an ie and makes the long i sound because a silent final e must be added after the i. ie also spells the long i sound when the tense or form of the word is changed. Ex: fry to fries; cry to cried

IGH

Can spell the long i sound in the middle or at the end of a base word. Ex: light; sigh

Y

Can spell the long i sound at the end of mostly  single syllable words. Ex: cry.

* y can also spell the long i sound in the middle or at the end of a few multisyllabic words (ex: cycle; supply; apply), or when the verb suffix fy is added to a word (ex: solidify). This is not to be confused with the adjective suffix fy (ex: goofy; stuffy), which then makes a long e sound. 

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long i sound, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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Long E Spelling Patterns

We know that the long e sound says its name. But how many ways are there to spell this long vowel sound? There are NINE different ways to spell the long e sound. Knowing these different spelling patterns for this one sound is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the eight spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

e

Can spell the long e sound at the end of a syllable. Ex: equal; we

e_e

Can spell the long e sound when the silent final e makes the e say its name. Ex: athlete

ea

Can spell the long e sound at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Ex: eat; dream; tea

ee

Can spell the long e sound at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Ex: eel; feed; bee

ei

Can spell the long e sound the beginning or in the middle of a word. Ex: either (dependent on geographic location); receive

ey

Can spell the long e sound, often at the end of a word. Ex: honey

i

Can spell the long e sound when followed by a consonant and silent final e, at the end of a syllable followed by a vowel, or at the end of foreign words. Ex: submarine; radio; spaghetti

ie

Can spell the long e sound in the middle or at the end of a word. Ex: piece; movie

y

Can spell the long e sound at the end of a multisyllabic word. Ex: jelly

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long e sound, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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