VOWEL SPELLING PATTERNS OF ENGLISH

VOWEL SPELLING PATTERNS OF ENGLISH

- The content of this page is subject to change without notice. -

 

ADJUST EXCEPTIONS TO RELIABLE PATTERNS.

OVERVEW

Retain reliable patterns.
Overlook acceptable patterns.
Shoot unphonetic words.

 

SPELLING PATTERNS FOR SHORT VOWEL SOUNDS

See also Irregular Spelling Patterns for Short Vowels.

Short A --- Basically, the letter "a".

Retain them --- "a"(cat, dash, matter, battle, happen, passion).
Overlook this --- aunt(AmE) (to distinguish from "ant")

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
bade === (badd), bade/beid/
draught === draft
guarantee === garantee
guaranty === garanty
laugh === laff
laughter === lafter
plaid === plad
plait === (plat), plait/pleit/(spelling pronunciation)

Short E --- Basically, the letter "e". In some words, the letter "a".

Retain them --- "e"(best, cell, net, better, letter, settle).
Overlook them --- again, against, says, any, many.

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
friend === frend
heifer === heffer
jeopardy === jeppardy, jepardy
leopard === leppard, lepard

"ea" with Short E sound
Use "e" insted of "ea".
Simpler Spellings (Traditional spellings ar given in brackets beloe.)
abrest(abreast), ahed(ahead), airhed(airhead), alreddy(already), bedsted(bedstead), bredd(bread), bredth(breadth), brekfast(breakfast), brest(breast), breth(breath), clenliness(cleanliness), clense(cleanse/klenz/), ded(dead), dedline(deadline), dedly(deadly), deff(deaf), deffen(deafen), delt(dealt), deth(death), dred(dread), dredful(dreadful), drednaut(dreadnaught), dremt(dreamt), endevor(endeavor), farmsted(farmstead), fether(feather), hed(head), hedder(header), hedding(heading), hedline(headline), hedstart(headstart), helth(health), helthy(healthy), hether(heather), heven(heaven), hevy(heavy), homested(homestead), insted(instead), jellous(jealous), jellousy(jealousy), ledd(lead/led/), leddy(leady), lept(leapt), lether(leather), leven(leaven), meddoe(meadow), ment(meant), mesure(measure), pesant(peasant), phesant(pheasant), plesant(pleasant), plesure(pleasure), redd(read/red/), reddy(ready), relm(realm), spred(spread), sted(stead), steddy(steady), stedfast(steadfast), stelth(stealth), swet(sweat), swetter(sweater), thred(thread), thret(threat), thretten(threaten), trechery(treachery), tred(tread), treddle(treadle), tredmill(treadmill), tresure(treasure), unhelthy(unhealthy), unledded(unleaded), unsteddy(unsteady), welth(wealth), welthy(wealthy), weppon(weapon), wether(weather), zellot(zealot), zellotry(zealotry), zellous(zealous)


Short I --- Basically, the letter "i". Ocasionally, the letter "y".

Retain them --- "i"(hit, hidden, skip, bitter, middle).
Overlook them --- "y"(gym, hymn, sympathy, rhythm)
There ar many words such as "cynic", "gym", "hymn", "mystery", and "system".
Tolerate them --- been, breeches(britches) ; women(wimmin)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
busy === bisy
pretty === pritty
sieve === siv
(women)===(wimmen, wimmin)

build, guild, guilt --- They hav a silent u.

Short O --- Basically, the letter "o". Ocasionally, the letter "a".

Retain them --- "o"(hot, shock, top, bottle, pottery).
Overlook them --- "a" as in "quality", "swan", "watch", and "what".

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
bureaucracy === burocracy (However, retain "-eau" in "bureau".)
bureaucrat === burocrat (cf. burocracy)
cough === coff
trough === troff
yacht === yot

Short U --- Basically, the letter "u". Ocasionally, the letter "o".

Retain them --- "u"(cut, butter, must, shuttle).
Overlook them --- "o"(other, some, son, onion) ; -ove(above, glove, love)
Tolerate them --- country, southern ; cousin(or cuzzen?)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

does === dus
doesn't === dusn't

blood === blud
bloody === bluddy
flood === flud
flooding === fludding

enough === enuff
rough === ruff
tough === tuff

couple === cupple
double === dubble
trouble === trubble

touch === tutch (cf. clutch, Dutch, hutch)
young === yung

courage === currage
discourage === discurrage
encourage === encurrage
flourish === flurrish
nourish === nurrish

SPELLING PATTERNS FOR LONG VOWEL SOUNDS


LONG-A:

Retain them --- aCe, aCle, ai, ay, ey
  • aCe --- bake, base, cake, case, date, fake, fame, gate, hate, mane, name, space, wane
  • aCle --- cable, cradle, gable, ladle, maple, stable, table
  • ai --- fail, jail, mail, main, nail, pain, rain, sail, tail, trail, train, vain
  • ay --- bay, day, gay, hay, lay, may, play, pray, stay, stray, tray, way
  • ey --- they, hey, obey, prey, survey


Tolerate them
aCCe --- acre, angel, arrange, change, danger, mange, range, strange, stranger, baste, haste, lambaste, paste, taste, waste
ei --- beige, feint, geisha, rein, seine ; deign, feign, reign

Exoticism --- e(mesa, cafe), ee(matinee, nee), er(atelier, dossier)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

break === braik
great === grait
steak === staik
yea === yay

bass === bace, (or baiss?)
gauge === gage, (or gaige?)
thegn === thane

deign, feign, reign --- They hav a silent g.

Traditional spellings ar given in brackets beloe.
awey(aweigh), eit(eight), eiteen(eighteen), eity(eighty), freit(freight), freiter(freighter), invey(inveigh), ney(neigh), neibor(neighbor), sley(sleigh), wey(weigh), weit(weight)

neighbor === neibor, nabor
neighborhood === neiborhood, naborhood
neighboring === neiboring, naboring

straight === strate

LONG-E:

Retain them --- eCe, ee/eaCle, ee, ea, (unstressed)-y
  • eCe --- cede, eve, meme, mete, Pete, scene
  • ee/eaCle --- eagle, beetle, needle
  • ee --- bee, deep, feel, feet, free, keen, keep, meet, need, see, seek, seem, steel, tee
  • ea --- beach, beast, deal, east, easy, meal, neat, peace, sea, seat, steal, tea, team
  • (unstressed)-y --- happy, hobby, lucky


Exoticism --- "i"(machine, ski, unique)
SR targets --- ae(aegis), oe(coelacanth), ey(key, medley), ei(receipt), ie(shield, cookie)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

alley === allee

key === kee

ceiling === ceeling
deceit === deceet
deceive === deceeve
receipt === receet
receive === receeve
seize === seeze
seizure === seezure
transceiver === transceever

LONG-I:

Retain them --- i/yCe, iCle, -i/-y, -ie/-ye, -igh.

  • i/yCe --- ice, nice, site, style, chyme, cyme, rhyme, thyme
  • iCle/-yCle --- rifle, title, cycle
  • -i/-y --- hi, pi, by, my, try
  • -ie/-ye --- lie, pie, tie, dye, bye, lye
  • -igh --- high, sigh, thigh, might, right, sight


Overlook them --- -uy(buy), -iCC(child, mind, pint), ei(feisty), eye.
Exoticism --- "ai"(aikido, haiku)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
aisle === yle
height === hight, hite
sleight === slyte

island, isle, islet --- They hav a silent "s".

LONG-O:

Retain them --- oCe, oCle, oa, oe, oh

  • oCe --- hole, hope, mode
  • oCle --- noble, socle
  • -o --- go, no, so
  • oa --- coach, goal, roast
  • -oe --- doe, foe, roe, toe
  • oh --- doh, oh, ohm


Overlook them --- ow(show), oCC(cold, gold, host, most, post), eau(bureau, plateau), au(au pair, chauffeur, gauche, haute), bouquet, brooch

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

comb === coam
sew /soU/ === soe
sewing === soeing

control === controle
controller === controler
roll === role
scroll === scrole
stroll === strole
troll === trole

soul === soal
shoulder === sholder
poultry === poltry
mould === mold

bowl === boal
own === oan
owner === oaner

ow to oe
belloe(bellow), beloe(below), bloe(blow), floe(flow), knoe(know), knoen(known), sloe(slow), throe(throw), windoe(window) ; sho(show)

cocoa === cocoe
whoa === whoe(?)

LONG-U:

Retain them --- uCe, uCle, -ue, eu, ew

  • uCe --- cute, fuse, mute, use
  • uCle --- ruble, scruple
  • -u --- flu, gnu, mu, thru
  • -ue --- clue, cue, due, hue, issue, sue
  • eu --- eulogy, feudal, neutral
  • ew --- few, lewd, new, pewter, shrewd, stew


Overlook them --- -ugh(Hugh, Hughes, Hughie), Houston, impugn ; (coupon)
SR targets --- oe(shoes), ui(fruit, juice, suit), "iew"(view, overview, review)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

beautiful === beutiful, butiful
beautify === beutify, butify
beauty === beuty, buty (cf. duty)

bruise === bruse
cruise === cruse
decruit === decrute
fruit === frute
juice === juce
juicy === jucy
nuisance === nusance
recruit === recrute
sluice === sluce
suit === sute
suitable === sutable
(We still hav "bruit" and "puisne".)

view === vew
viewer === vewer
viewpoint === vewpoint
overview === overvew
preview === prevew
review === revew

shoes === shues

Long-OO and Short-OO

 

Long OO

Retain them --- "oo" --- boom, boost, room, taboo
Overlook them --- "u"(rule), "ew"(crew), etc.
Tolerate them --- "ou"(acoustic, group, soup) ; (coupon)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
canoe === canoo

"-ove"
aproove(approve), moove(move), improove(improve), proove(prove), remoove(remove), etc.

Short OO

"oo" --- book, foot, hood, look, rookie, shook, stood, took, wood
"u" --- bull, bush, cushion, full, pull, push, put, sugar

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
could === cood
should === shood
would === wood, wud

Other Vowels

 

ou/ow

ou --- about, out, loud, round, south
ow --- brown, cow, now, plow, vowel
exoticism --- gaucho, gauss

oi/oy

"oi"--- broil, coil, oil, soil, toilet
"oy"--- boy, oyster, soy, toy

au/aw

"au"--- cause, faucet, pause, sauce
"aw"--- awful, crawl, law, straw
Overlook them --- "al"(chalk, talk, walk)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
abroad === abraud
broad === braud
broadcast === braudcast
water === wauter

Braud A Sound

"a" --- father, spa
Occasionally, with "aa" and "ah".
Others --- calm, palm, psalm, and aunt(BrE)


 

Vowels folloed by R

 

ER/IR/UR sound(as in mercy, first, and turn)

er --- certain, concern, her, nerd
ir --- birth, circle, fir, stir
ur --- curtain, fur, hurdle, turn
SR targets --- "ear"(learn, research), "our"(journal, sojourn)

 

AR sound(as in "car" and "mark")

"ar"--- bar, card, dark, martial
SR targets --- "ear"(hearken, heart, hearth)
Overlook it --- "sergeant"

 

AIR sound(as in "fair")

"air"--- fair, pair, stair
"-are"---bare, care, snare
Overlook them --- -eir(heir, their), -ere(there, where)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》

--- "ear"(bear, swear, wear)
bear --- bair
pear --- (peir)
tear --- tair(verb)
swear --- swair
wear --- wair
forbear --- forbair
forswear --- forswair
outwear --- outwair

aerial === airial
canary === canairy
scarce === scairce

 

EER sound(as in "beer")

"-ere"--- here, mere, sphere
"ear" --- dear, hear, smear
"eer" --- beer, deer, steer, pioneer
SR targets --- weird, weirdo, fierce, pierce, frontier

 

IRE sound(as in "fire")

"ire"--- fire, hire, ire, mire, sire, tire, wire
-yre --- gyre, lyre, pyre, tyre
Overlook them --- buyer, liar ; (choir)

《Minimum Spelling Reform》
fiery === firey

 

OR/ORE sound

"or"--- nor, or, pork, torch
"oar"--- boar, hoarse, roar, soar
"ore"--- bore, core, more, sore
Occasionally, with "-aur"(dinosaur).
SR targets --- (four), pour, course, source ; door, floor

 

URE sound

"-ure"--- cure, pure
"eur"--- euro
"ewer"--- fewer, skewer

 

OOR sound

"-oor"--- boor, poor
Overlook them --- tour, tourist

 

OUR sound

"our"--- flour, hour, our, sour
"-ower"--- flower, power, shower, tower



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