Vowel Teams & Diphthongs Cheat Sheet (PDF)
ai/ay, ee/ea, oa/ow, oo, oi/oy, ou/ow — position rules and example words for every long-vowel and diphthong spelling.
A one-page summary of vowel teams and diphthongs — which two-letter spellings make one long sound, which glide, and example words for each.
What’s inside
- Long vowel pairs with middle and end spellings: ai / ay (rain, mail — day, play), ee / ea (tree, feet — beach, clean), oa / ow (boat, coat — snow, grow).
- Both sounds of oo: long (moon, spoon) and short (book, look).
- The two diphthongs with their position rule: oi / oy (coin, join — boy, toy) and ou / ow (loud, house — cow, brown).
Every word in this PDF (21)
Handy for checking the list fits your child before printing, or for making your own games.
rain, mail, day, tree, beach, clean, boat, coat, snow, grow, moon, spoon, book, look, coin, join, boy, toy, house, cow, brown
How to use it
- Introduce one row at a time as your child learns that team.
- When reading, point to the row instead of saying the sound — it builds independence.
- Use the position rule for spelling: "Is the sound at the end? Then it's probably oy or ow."
- Revisit the page before starting each new vowel team.
Who it’s for
Ages 5–7 in Stage 5, once digraphs are solid.
Where it fits: Stage 5 — Vowel Teams & Tricky Words
Goes well with
Teach phonics online — one short lesson a day
Sign in free and follow a plan that remembers where you are. Right here in your browser, on phone, tablet or computer — nothing to download.
- 92 step-by-step lessons, SATPIN first
- Big flashcards to show your child
- Games, checkpoints and progress for every sound
For little ones (2–6) there’s also our sound-play game on iPhone & iPad and Android.