Vowel Teams

​ Vowel teams are two vowels that make one vowel sound! Unlike a vowel digraph, where there could also be a vowel and a consonant, vowel teams only include two vowels to make the vowel sounds.

​It’s important to notice whether a vowel combination is reversed such as io in lion. In this case, you split the syllable between the i and o as this is not a vowel team.

​ A digraph is when two letters team up to make one sound, and diphthongs are a special type of vowel sound (oi, oy, ow, ou etc.). So all vowel teams are digraphs but some are also diphthongs!

​ Vowel diphthongs are known as sliding sounds. For example, oi/oy like in oil/boy and ow/ou like in cow/loud. They still make one sound but it’s not as clear, as the sound slides from the first vowel. If you look in the mirror as you make a diphthong sound, you’ll notice the shape of your mouth changes!

​Long A Vowel Teams: ai, ay, ea, eigh, ey

Long E Vowel Teams: ee, ea, ey, ei, ie

Long I Vowel Teams: ie, igh

Long O Vowel Teams: oa, oe

Long U Vowel Teams: ew, ue, eu

Diphthong Vowel Teams: oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, oo

​Some vowel teams can be unpredictable! How? Some vowel teams almost always make the same sound, but some make different sounds. For example, ai almost always makes the long a sound, but ea can make the long e, short e, or long a sound. These are known as unpredictable vowel teams. We have to look into clues to know what sound an unpredictable vowel pair is making.

​Let's Practice!

Vowel Teams!

Oh Boy!

​And... a story!