20 Vowel Sounds Chart (Free PDF) with Examples

American English has 20 vowel sounds — 5 short, 5 long, 5 r-controlled and 5 others (two oo sounds, aw, ow and oi) — but only 5 vowel letters to spell them all. The result is a spelling system where one sound can be written 10 different ways, and one spelling can say 4 different sounds. Understanding the full vowel sound chart is the key to teaching spelling without “just memorize it.”

This chart maps every American English vowel sound to its common spellings, with example words at each spelling. British charts also count 20 vowel sounds but group them differently (12 pure vowels and 8 diphthongs) — see British vs American vowel sounds below.

Vowel sounds are the core of Stage 5 — see the vowel teams & tricky words stage in the phonics roadmap for how this fits with the rest of the sequence.

Download the chart

Vowel Sounds Chart (Free PDF) — all 20 sounds from this page, ready to print. No email required.

Short vowels (5 sounds)

Short vowels are taught first — they appear in CVC words and are the most consistent. The only tricky one is short O: after w, the letter a says /ɑ/ (want, wash, wasp).

Long vowels (5 sounds, many spellings)

Long vowels are where English gets complex — each one has 3–6 possible spellings. Teach in this order: magic-e first (most predictable), then vowel teams (most frequent). See the long vs short vowels post and the complete vowel teams list for detailed word lists.

R-controlled vowels (bossy R)

R-controlled vowels are typically taught after long vowels. The trickiest are er/ir/ur — all three say /ɝ/. See the dedicated r-controlled vowels post for full word lists and the er/ir/ur sort activity.

Other vowel sounds: oo, aw, ow, oi

The letters oo spell two different sounds — short in book, long in moon — so teach them as two sounds. /aʊ/ and /ɔɪ/ are diphthongs: you can feel your mouth move while saying them (so are long A, I and O). See the complete diphthongs list for the oi/oy and ou/ow position rules. Many Americans say aw (caught) the same as short O (cot) — both are fine. Hear each one: short oo, long oo, aw, long I (igh), long U (u_e).

The /ɝ/ vowel — the hardest sound to spell

The R vowel (/ɝ/) is the single most confusing sound in English spelling because it has 5 common spellings: er, ir, ur, ear, or (after w). Example: her, bird, hurt, learn, word. All say exactly the same sound.

Children must learn these through visual memory, not phonics rules. The fastest method: the er/ir/ur sort (see r-controlled vowels).

British vs American vowel sounds

Both count 20 vowel sounds, but not the same 20. If your child learns with an American program, use the symbols above; British charts use these instead:

The big difference is the r: Americans say it in car, fork, bird, near, hair, so those are r-controlled vowels. British speakers drop it and glide instead, which is why British charts list 8 diphthongs. The unstressed “uh” in about(schwa, /ə/) exists in both, but phonics programs don’t teach it as a separate sound.

Teaching order: short to long to r-controlled to other vowels

Use this chart as a spelling reference whenever your child asks “how do I write the /eɪ/ sound?” — look up the sound, pick the most common spelling for that word position, and teach the others as alternatives once the primary one is automatic.

Vowel sound practice worksheets

Want your child to write each word too, not just read it? These worksheets group the example words above by sound family, with a blank line under every word.

Download all 4 worksheets (131 words, Free PDF) — read each word out loud, then write it on the line. No email required.

• Short vowels worksheet (55 words, PDF)
• Long vowels worksheet (32 words, PDF)
• R-controlled vowels worksheet (29 words, PDF)
• Diphthongs worksheet (15 words, PDF)