Long Vowel Sounds
Learn long vowel sounds where a, e, i, o and u say their own names, as in cake, bee and bike. A phonics lesson for ages 5-7 with fun games.
Key takeaways
- A long vowel says its own letter name
- Long a, e, i, o, u sound like A, E, I, O, U
- Short vowels are quick; long vowels are stretched
Vowels that say their names
You already know the five vowels: a, e, i, o, u. Sometimes a vowel makes a quick, short sound. But sometimes a vowel says its own name. When it does, we call it a long vowel sound.
Listen for the letter name hiding inside the word!
Long a — says "A"
- cake 🍰
- rain 🌧️
- gate 🚪
Long e — says "E"
- bee 🐝
- tree 🌳
- leaf 🍃
Long i — says "I"
- bike 🚲
- kite 🪁
- pie 🥧
Long o — says "O"
- rose 🌹
- boat ⛵
- goat 🐐
Long u — says "U"
- cube 🧊
- mule 🐴
- music 🎵
A little word list
Read these long vowel words out loud and listen for the vowel saying its name:
- cake 🍰
- bee 🐝
- bike 🚲
- boat ⛵
- cube 🧊
Try the games below to match each long vowel to a word!
Want to compare? First learn your short vowels a, e, i, o, u. One special way to make long vowels is the silent e (magic e) trick.
Quick quiz
Test yourself and earn XP
Which word has a long a sound?
Cake has a long a, where a says its own name.
What does a long vowel do?
A long vowel says its own name, like the e in bee.
Which word has a long o sound?
Rose has a long o, where o says its own name.
Play & learn
Long vowel cards +5 XP
Completed ✓ +5 XP
Match the long vowel to a word +10 XP
Completed ✓ +10 XP
FAQ
A long vowel sound is when a, e, i, o or u says its own letter name, like the a in cake.
A short vowel makes a quick sound (cat), while a long vowel says its own name and sounds stretched (cake).
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