FREE Vowel Sort Worksheets: Long & Short Vowels
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Get five vowel sorts to help kids distinguish between long and short vowel sounds heard in words. Each free printable worksheet includes ten pictures to sort: Five pictures with short vowels, and five pictures with long vowels.
Long and Short Vowels
A, E, I, O, and U are the five vowels in the English language, and all vowels have multiple sounds called long and short sounds.
Children must know the difference between the long and short sounds that vowels make! When decoding new words, they can quickly flex between the sounds to figure out the real word.
👉 For example: When reading the word music, does mŭ/sic (short u sound) or mū/sic (long u sound) sound like the right word?
Short Vowels Sounds
- A a – /ă/ – apple
- E e – /ĕ/ – elephant
- I i – /ĭ/ – igloo
- O o – /ŏ/ – octopus
- U u – /ŭ/ – umbrella
Short and Long Vowel Words
A Words
- Short ă Words: Backpack, cab, cat, rat, cap.
- Long ā Words: Chair, rake, plane, chain, sail.
E Words
- Short ĕ Words: Pen, hen, web, net, tent.
- Long ē Words: Seal, cheese, bee, read, pea.
I Words
- Short ĭ Words: Squid, pig, zip, dig, swim.
- Long ī Words: Light, cry, knife, dime, kite.
O Words
- Short ŏ Words: Pot, frog, hot, dog, fox.
- Long ō Words: Hose, boat, coat, snow, bone.
U Words
- Short ŭ Words: Sun, rug, bug, brush, nut.
- Long ū Words: Cube, unicorn, puke, tissue, music.
Using The Worksheets
👉 Before you begin, be sure kids know the names of the pictures. The corresponding words are all listed above. Briefly review the pictures before having children complete the activity!
These worksheets are designed to practice comparing the long and short sounds that vowels make. Children look at the colorful, easy-to-recognize picture word.
Next, they identify the vowel sounds they hear in words, then cut, sort, and paste them in the correct place according to their long or short sounds!
Tips and Info
- This activity is great for 1st-grade students, or any children learning long vowel sounds.
- Print in color so kids can see the bright, beautiful pictures!
- Extend the Activity: After sorting the picture cards, have your students try to spell the short vowel words. If you’re introducing long vowels, then they should have every skill needed to spell all of the short vowel word pictures!
Related Posts
- Long & Short Vowel Sounds – With 2 Free Anchor Charts!
- BR and BL Blends Worksheets
- CVC Decodable Sentences
🖨️ Download & Print
We’d love to hear about your experience with these worksheets!
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Thank you so much. Big help!
These look great. I love print-and-cut materials. Thank you for doing this.
Hi Ann! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the worksheets! Let us know if you use any of the other resources on our site! 🙂 -Katie & Laura