Long Vowel Sounds Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RF.1.2.A

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Long vowels are vowels in words that sound the same as the name of the letter. For example in the word "bike", the vowel "i" is pronounced just like the letter is. The letter "e" on the other hand, is not pronounced the same way. When vowels don't act as long vowels is when the English language really falls off the rails for non-English speakers. Being able to delineate these tricky sounds is the key to having a native flow to your speech patterns and presenting as having a high fluency in the language. This is often where different dialects of the English language start to appear. Each dialect seems to organize around these little noises, but not in all instances, only a select few words. These worksheets will help students be able to identify long vowels sounds and words that contain them. This skill helps improve reading fluency and accuracy of pronunciation.

Long Vowel Worksheets To Print:

The Long U Sound - Start by saying the word that is represented by the picture out loud. Color or circle any of the pictures that have a long u sound.

The Long E Sound - Make sure to say the name of each and every picture here. If you are not sure what the picture is representing, ask someone for help.

The Long A Sound - Same thing, but with a different sound this time. That is a picture of a cape, not Dracula or the count.

Picture Sounds - Match the beginning sound to the picture or pictures. The cape makes another appearance, but the person thinking usually stumps them here.

Long I - A crayon of any color helps out here. There is a ship and a person that is driving.

Monkey Business! - Say the name of each picture out loud. Cut and glue into the correct box.

Long O - Say the name of each picture aloud. Color in the box in each pair whose picture contains a long o sound.

The Long and the Short of It - Say each word out loud. Does it have a long vowel sound, or a short vowel sound? If it has a long sound, color the giraffe. It if has a short sound, color the turtle.

Department of Long Vowels - Say the name of each picture out loud. Cut and glue into the correct desk.

Long/Short - Say each picture in the row aloud. Do they have the same vowel sound? If so, color the happy face. If not, color the sad face. Then circle what kind of vowel sound each picture has.

Match the Vowel Sounds - Draw lines to match the pictures that have the same long vowel sounds.

Circle It! - Circle every picture that has that sound.

Identifying Vowel Sounds - Say the name of each picture in the box. What vowel sound do they all share? Write it on the line. Follow the example.

Long e | Short e - Say the name of each picture out loud. Cut and glue it into the right box.

The Vowel Family - Color each member of the family who is only thinking about things that contain long vowel sounds.

What Are Long Vowel Sounds?


It is always a great idea to work off of these sounds when you are teaching how to read and write to children. Long vowel sounds are basically sounds that are pronounced in the same way as the letter itself. Using these types of sounds is the easiest way to help non-native English speakers and children to differentiate between different pronunciations.


The English language has five vowels (a, e, i, o, u). All of these have similar forms of sound. For example, the long vowel sound of the letter "U" is pronounced as "yoo". It can easily be heard in words like "lure", "cure", etc. Whereas, the short vowel sound of the letter "U" is pronounced like "uh". Words like "cub", "scrub", etc. depict the characteristics of the short vowel sound of "U"


Long Vowel Sounds in Sentences


Long A

- She is going to bake a cake.


- Would you pay for that?


- Can you shake hands with me?


Long E

- Can you be my friend?


- I want to see you again.


- They created a scene in the market.


Long I

- I am going to the movies.


- My mother loves pine trees.


- You will be fine.


The Long O

- We were walking down the road.


- I am so excited about the event.


- She saw a crow yesterday.


The Long U

- You were quite rude to me.


- There was a long queue.


- I want some ice cubes.


How to Form Words With These Sounds

- In certain words, the E at the end is often silent. This silent E makes the previous vowel sound much longer and impactful. For example, cute, mute, shine, tape, code, etc.


- When a word has a vowel right before two consonants, the impact of that vowel becomes longer. For example, stroll, kind, child, etc.


Why Are They Important at All?

These sounds are present in every syllable of every English word. When you can tell the differences between the sounds, they help you differentiate between words that remarkably close spelling wise. Readers that do not have a good handle on this skill will struggle with new words that are outside their comfort zone. In the long term, this will eventually lead to them struggling at some point and falling behind their peers. That is why we would consider this a foundational skill that all young readers should master early on in their curriculum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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