According to different programs there are always 6 different syllable types, but there can be as many as 8. The six basic syllable types are Closed Syllables, Open Syllables, Silent e Syllables, R Controlled Vowel Syllables, Vowel Team Syllables and Consonant le or c-le Syllables. Other programs add Diphthong Syllables and Schwa Syllables. Today we will discuss what each of the basic 6 syllable types are and why knowing them is important to helping learners on their reading journey.

First let’s talk about what the syllable types are and what they mean to reading. The syllable types are simply a way of identifying the role of the vowel in each syllable and informs the reader of which vowel sound to use in each syllable. It will tell the reader if the single vowel is long or short. It also tells the reader which of two vowels are sounded if there are multiple vowels in a syllable. The last thing it tells the reader is if the sounded vowel makes a sound that is different from it’s long or short sound as in the case of c-le, r controlled, diphthong and schwa syllables. Now we will talk about what each of the basic 6 syllable types are.

1. Closed Syllables

The first syllable type children learn to read are closed syllables. This is because the first kind of words children are typically taught are CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. These are the most basic form of closed syllables. A closed syllable is simply a syllable that ends in a consonant. A lot of people remember what a closed syllable is, by remembering that the vowel is closed in by a consonant. This syllable type always uses the short sound for the vowel in the syllable. It is a syllable with a single vowel that is followed by a consonant. Simple examples of this are am, cat, get, and hut. This rule for a closed syllable using a short vowel sound is the reason for some otherwise seemingly extra letters in words like letters. It may seem redundant to have two t’s in the word letters until you realize that the syllable break comes between the two t’s and if there was only one t then it could change the word to having a long e sound and then the pronunciation would change to match the word liters.

To review, a closed syllable is a syllable with one vowel that is followed by one or more consonants. Some more examples are in, kit, snack and the first syllable FIDdle.

2. Open Syllables

The next syllable type children are typically taught is open syllables. They are the opposite of closed syllables. In these syllables the last letter is a vowel. So, these syllables are often remembered as the vowels being open to say their names (long sounds). Remember you can use whatever terms you would like to use to help your individual learner or learners remember these syllable types. But, be careful to call things by their proper names as often as possible (long sound instead of a vowel saying it’s name) to help your learner progress faster and have fewer “new” things to learn. I discuss this idea more thoroughly in my post on Silent e.

3. The third syllable type we will discuss is Silent e Syllables.

Silent e syllables are syllables that have an e at the end of the syllable that make the other vowel in the syllable make it’s long sound as in the words make and hike. One thing that can be kind of tricky for learners when they are syllabicating with Silent e Syllables is that sometimes, when the Silent e syllable comes at the beginning or the middle of the word (when it is not at the end of a word), the e may get dropped. This depends on what comes after the Silent e Syllable. These are still Silent e Syllables even though the e is missing like the middle syllable in misTAKen, or the first syllable in LIKing.

4. R Controlled Syllables

R controlled syllables are syllables that have a vowel follwed directly by an r. Whenever a vowel is followed by an r it makes a different sound than it’s long or short sound or sounds (remember a makes two short sounds, /a/ as in cat and /o/ as in all, and u makes two long sounds /U/ as in cute and /oo/ flute). The trickiest part of r controlled vowels is that three of them make the same sound. This actually simplifies things for reading, but it complicates spelling a bit. er, ir and ur all say /er/ as in fern, bird, and urn. ar and or are easier to remember and distinguish because they generally have their own unique sounds, ar says the sound /are/ and or says the sound of the word it spells /or/. There are sometimes like in the words, word or world, when or says /er/ like er, ir and ur. But, generally, these two r controlled vowels have their own sound. Once your reader has mastered their letter names and sounds it is a good idea to start teaching them the sounds of the digraphs (two letters that come together to make a new sound) wh, ph, sh, th and ch, and the r controlled vowels along with other letter combinations that make specific sounds that are separate from their individual sounds.

5. Vowel Team Syllables

Vowel teams are two vowels that are side by side that follow the rule of, when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking and says it’s name. (Okay, I know, more cutesy stuff, I told you it’s a hard habit to break!!) There are only 6 true vowel teams, although some programs include some diphthongs (letter combinations that include vowels that make a different sound like oi, oy, aw, ow, au, and ou) in their vowel team list. The 6 true vowel teams are ai, ea, ee, ie, and oe. You will find words like said, head, and cutie that bring up either exceptions or other rules for these letter combinations. But these combinations typically follow the rule of the first vowel being long and the second vowel being silent as in mail, sea, see, pie, and toe. So, teaching your reader that these teams make one sound and that sound is the long sound of the first vowel is a reliable reading rule for them to lean on.

6. Consonant le Syllables

Consonant le Syllables are found at the end of words and I have heard them actually called final stable syllables. This syllable type falls into one of those lesser known reasons or rules for a Silent e that I mentioned in that previous post. These syllables actually have a distorted or schwa vowel sound to them. The vowel sound for all of these is a short /oo/ sound. Words like stable, wobble, fiddle, indelible have a consonant le syllable as their final syllable. This syllable type will only be found at the end of multisyllabic words as they cannot stand alone as their own word and they always occur at the end of a word. The only possible exception to these being at the end of a word would be if a suffix has been added after it or it is a compound word like stablehand.

Although, some programs include the two other syllable types of Schwa and Diphthongs and I certainly think they are worth discussing, I will save them for another post. This one covers the 6 basic syllable types and includes a lot of information to digest in one sitting. I also plan to do a post on how to syllabicate or diagram syllables within words to help your reader decode longer and more complex words.

Phonics is the first step that all of the oral work with language takes toward building a strong relationship with written language. The word phonics is based on the root phon or phone which means sound. You may remember from my post on Phonemic and Phonological Awareness that the suffix -ic means “having to do with or in regards to”. That means at its “root” (pun intended!!) Phonics just means having to do with sound. And that is what it is. It is teaching children what sounds each letter makes. ALL of the sounds each letter makes (long and short vowel sounds, soft and hard c and g sounds, or multiple sounds for a digraph). It is also what sounds different digraphs, trigraphs, quadgraphs, diphthongs, and vowel teams make.

Here is some more information about what each of those letter combinations are. Di-, tri- and quad graphs are just letter combinations that make a new/different sound. Di is a root that means two, so these are the two letter combinations of sh, ch, wh, and ph. Tri means three so that includes combinations like igh, tch, dge. Quad means four so that means a four letter combination like eigh. Diphthongs are vowel or vowel and consonant combinations that make a blended or new sound. Some examples of these are ou, ow, oi and oy. Vowel teams are two vowel combinations that follow the rule of “when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and says its name”. The term vowel team is used for various combinations in different programs and trainings, but to me there are only 6 true vowel teams because they include only vowels and they follow the above rule. They are ea, ee, oe, oa, ai, and ie.

Once learners have mastered with BOTH accuracy and automaticity the sounds of the letters, they can start using their Phonemic Awareness skills to put those sounds together to sound out AND spell words. This is a key thing to remember. True phonics should include instruction in both decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) words. Learners do not have to have all the letter combinations mastered before starting to use phonics to read and spell. In fact they can begin using their Phonological skills to read and write as soon as they have mastered with accuracy and automaticity as few as two letter sounds like /a/ and /m/ or /o/ and /n/. As learners are working on and mastering their letter sounds they should be using them to read and write as soon as possible. Doing this will help their learning in two ways. First, it will help them see the value of what they are learning and help them remain engaged in the learning. Second, it will help ingrain their learning deeper as they practice applying their new knowledge in different ways.

This is essentially all that Phonics is. It is teaching learners explicitly the sounds that go with each letter symbol and then giving them as many and as varied opportunities to use/apply that information in BOTH reading and writing. There are just a few more things I would like to mention though, that strengthen a good phonics foundation.

One of those things is the rules that govern many of the sounds letters make. Although, typically these rules are more important for spelling, they do affect reading skills as well. One of the rules that affects reading is the type of syllable you are reading. A closed syllable (one that ends in a consonant) uses a short vowel sound. An open syllable (one that ends in a vowel) uses a long vowel sound. Recognizing and understanding this will help readers gain efficiency because they no longer have to try both vowel sounds, they can just read the correct sound the first try. There are between six and eight syllable types depending on the program you are using or learning from. Each of these syllable types gives specific information to help with reading and spelling. A strong foundation in Phonemic Awareness is again important here because it will allow children to know where words break between syllables. Other rules like an a says /o/ when it follows a w or comes before an l, help with both reading and spelling. Words like want are no longer just sight words, they are words that follow a specific rule. This is an example of how, although there are certainly exceptions to the rules in the English language, there are fewer than many of us think or thought, once we learn the rules that govern our language. I am only now starting to feel like I know about more of these rules than I don’t thanks to a mentor of mine who is a Dyslexia interventionist and whose original degree was not in teaching, but in English itself. It is vital that there is instruction in these rules that govern our language within Phonics instruction to ensure students can read AND spell unknown words based on rules and sounds, not just the words included in the lessons or weekly spelling list or the word list in the back of their decodable reader.

The other is the VITAL importance of teaching spelling as a part of Phonics instruction. Yes, this series of posts is about the pillars of Reading, but without using Phonics for spelling you are taking half of the equation and ability from the learners. Students will progress more quickly with reading the letter sounds they are being instructed in than they will in spelling them. However, once they have mastered letter sounds and practiced applying that knowledge in reading they need to be given the opportunity and expectation to use that same knowledge in writing/spelling. If they cannot use the known letter sounds correctly and consistently in spelling and writing, both scripted like a spelling test and free like journal writing, it should not be considered a mastered skill and more practice must be given.

Here are some things to remember about Phonics:

It is the explicit instruction of letter and letter combination sounds

It must include application practice in BOTH decoding/reading and encoding/spelling

It must include instruction and drill of the rules that govern which letter/letter combination sound OR letter/letter combination to use when spelling a sound (i.e. both ch and tch say /ch/, but are used in different words and places in words)

If you have any great tips to share about teaching Phonics to your students please share in the comments so that we can all learn from you! What has been your best resource for learning the rules that govern our language? What questions do you still have about Phonics? I look forward to hearing from you.