Spelling Sounds

Spelling With Understanding is a reference book that lists spelling patterns for every sound in English!! Provided with each sound is a robust word list, organized by grade level, as well as exceptions to patterns. Think of it as an atlas or encyclopedia for spelling!

Short Vowel Sounds

• [æ] Short A as in HAT
• [ɑ] Short O as in BOX or WASH
• [ɔ] British Short O Variant of [ɑ] as in CALL, HAWK, PAUSE or THOUGHT
• [ɛ] Short E as in PET or BREAD
• [ɪ] Short I as in MIX, MYTH, MOUNTAIN, VILLAGE or ENGINE
• [ʌ] Short U in Stressed Syllables as in BUG, OVEN or YOUNG
• [ə] Short U in Unstressed Syllables as in SCUBA, CARROT, CIRCUS …
• [ʊ] The “Longish” Short U as in PUSH, GOOD, WOMAN or COULD

long Vowel Sounds

• An explanation of the Great Vowel Shift
• [e] Long A as in PAPER, RAIN, NAME, VEIL, PRAY, THEY, BALLET or CAFÉ
• [i] Long E as in HERO, GENE, SLEEP, SEA, TAXI, CHIEF, LADY or KEY
• [o] Long O as in GO, TOE, MOW, BOAT, SOUL or PLATEAU
• [u] Long U as in JULY, CLUE, NEW, COOL, SOUP or CRUISE

DIPHTHONG Vowel Sounds

• [ʲu] Prepalatalized Long U as CUCUMBER, CUTE, FEW or EUROPE
• [ɑⁱ] The “Kite” Diphthong as in PILOT, KITE, SEISMIC, CRY or TYPE
• [ɑᵘ] The “Wow” Diphthong as in VOICE or ENJOY
• [oⁱ] The “Joy” Diphthong as in SOUND or POWDER

R diphthongs

• [eɹ] The “Air” Diphthong as in PARENT, DARE, HAIR, PEAR or VERY
• [oɹ] The “Door” Diphthong as in WAR, HORN, SORE, DOOR, OAR, COURT…
• [ʌɹ] The “Bird” Diphthong as in GERM, DIRT, WORD, FUR, COURAGE…
• [əɹ] The “Helper” Diphthong as in SMARTER, AUTHOR or LIAR

CONSONANTS

Download this free printable Phonetic Face Diagram!

Consonant sounds that can only be spelled with one letter:

• [b] B
• [g] G
• [h] H
• [l] L
• [m] M
• [n] N
• [p] P
• [ɹ] R
• [t] T
• [v] V
• [w] W
• [ks]/[gz]/ [gʒ] X

Consonant sounds that have more than one letter or spelling:

• [t͡ʃ] as CHEESE, ITCH, CONSCIENCE or FORTUNE
• [d] as in DOG or LITTLE
• [f] as in FOX or PHONE
• [d͡ʒ] as in JAZZ, GENTLE, AGE, BRIDGE or SCHEDULE
• [ʒ] as in MEASURE, SEIZURE or COLLAGE
• [k] as in KING, CAT, BRICK, PICNIC or ANTIQUE
• [kʃ] as in ANXIOUS or ACTUAL
• [kw] as in QUEEN
• [ŋ] as in SING or ANCHOR
• [nʲ] as in PIÑATA or LASAGNA
• [s] as in SING, CITY, MUSCLE or PRETZEL
• [ʃ] as in SHELL, SUGAR, PATIENT or SPECIAL
• [θ] as in THINK
• [ð] as in LEATHER
• [j] as in YELLOW, TORTILLA or FJORD
• [hw] as in WHITE
• [z] as in ZEBRA, WISE or XYLOPHONE
• [ɂ] glottal stop used in some dialects to begin words or to replace T
• Double Consonants