Syllable Types
Closed – This is the most common type of syllable. Closed syllables end in one or more
consonant and contain a single short vowel.
com/mon but/ter hos/tel pic/nic drag/on lap/top
Open – Open syllables end in a long vowel spelled with a single vowel.
to/tal ri/val bi/ble mo/tor me go
Vowel/Consonant/e – These syllables work on the same principle as other e–controlled
vowel words. Long vowels are indicated by the presence of the ‘e’ after a consonant.
wake rude tide bone eve
Vowel Team – Vowel teams can have between two to four letters and may have a
long, short or diphthong sound. Teams sometimes use the consonants y and w as part
of the team to change the sound of the vowel as in ey/ay/oy/aw/ew. Other consonants
that may occur in these teams are gh and l as in:
seam thief boil/ing hay light/ning through walk
Vowel/r – These syllables are words containing any of the vowels followed by the letter r.
The r changes the sound of the vowel but can be pronounced in a number of ways.
per/form ar/dor mir/ror further worth wart
Consonant/le – These syllables include the endings ble/dle/fle/gle/tle/ple/zle. These are only
found at the end of words. If these syllables occur after a closed syllable, there must
be two consonants to keep the vowel short.
babble topple little rubble mumble
If these syllables occur after an open syllable, only one consonant is required.
cable bugle title fable noble
Other – These are usually final syllables with spellings that are not phonetic.
dam/age act/ive na/tion ex/plo/sion
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