a, e, i, o, u: five letters, 14 sounds
Aa
/ă/ as in mat (this is the “short a” sound)
/ā/ as in ape (this is the “long a” sound)
/å/ as in father (this is the “third sound of a”)
Ee
/ĕ/ as in egg
/ē/ as in me
Ii
/ĭ/ as in if (this is the “short i” sound)
/ī/ as in Idaho (this is the “long i” sound
The letter i can also stand for the sound /ē/. Ex.boutique, happy
When teaching the letter i to your child, teach the three sounds: /ĭ/ /ī/ and /ē/.
Oo
/ŏ/ as in hot (this is the “short o” sound” of o.
In American English, this sound is the same as the “third sound of a” as in father.)
/ō/ as in Oprah (this is the “long o” sound)
/oo/ as in /ō/
Uu
/ŭ/ as in but (this is the “short u” sound)
/ū/ as in uke (this is the “long u” sound)
/û/ as in put (this is the “third sound of u”
