Phonics Rules

1. Sometimes the rules don't work. There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.
   
   
2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel. English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.
   
   
3. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples: "fat, bed, fish, spot, luck".
   
   
4. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central", and "city".
   
   
5. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".
   
   
6. When 2 consonants a joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph. They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph and wh".
   Sh makes the sound of asking someone to be quiet and putting your finger by your mouth and saying, ?Sh.? Ch is the sound of a train trying to make it up the hill and chugging away. Th makes the sound of putting your tongue between your front teeth and blowing. Wh has a hard sound and a soft sound. The hard sound is said louder as in whale and the soft sound is like blowing out a candle as in who. (show, church, wheel, why, think)
   
   
7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long. Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".
   
   
8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent. Examples: "pain, eat, boat, rescue, grow". Exceptions: "bread, said, build". NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In a diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are: "oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
   
   
9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long. Examples: "pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".
   
   
10. Double consonants make one sound and the final consonant is crossed out.
    
    
11. C comes before a,o and u. (cat, cot, cut) K comes before the other two-i and e. (kite, key)
    
    
12. The ow and ou make the sound as if you were being pinched and said ?ow?. Ow and ou can also say just ?o? when it is on the end of a word. These vowel combinations can have both of these two sounds. (count, wow, mow)
    
    
13. -Er, -ir, -ur make the same sound of ?er?. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is not long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term, sir, fir, fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".
    
    
14. -Or makes the ?or? sound (horn, born). When w is before ?or?, the ?or? says ?er?. (work, word)
    
    
15. There is a long and short sound to ?oo?. The long sound is like the "oo" in the word tooth. The short sound is like the "oo" in the word book. (booth, took)
    
    
16. Oi and oy make the sound of a pig that says, ?Oink?. ?Oi? comes in the front and middle of a word and ?oy? comes on the end of a word. (oil, boil, boy,toy)
    
    
17. Qu are always together and we say they are married. (queen)
    
    
18. If a vowel is followed the letter r, it doesn't long or short vowel sound. (Example: bear, car, bird)