OU, OW Sounds
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Phonic Sounds
Consonant Digraph
Other Consonant Sounds
More Lessons On English Grammar
English for Kids
Videos and songs to help First Grade kids learn how to pronounce the OU, OW diphthong sounds, Learn words that have the OU and OW sounds.
Learning about the “ou” and “ow” sounds in English is a common point of confusion for learners because both spellings can often represent the same diphthong (a combination of two vowel sounds). A diphthong is a sound made by gliding from one vowel sound to another within the same syllable. It’s essentially two vowel sounds blended together.
The most common sound that “ou” and “ow” represent is the diphthong /aʊ/. This sound is a combination of a vowel similar to the “a” in “father” and a vowel similar to the “oo” in “food,” but blended together.
Examples:
ou: out, house, mouse, loud, cloud, sound, found, round, count, shout, south, mouth
ow: cow, now, how, down, town, brown, crowd, owl, flower, power
The following diagram shows some examples of ou and ow words. Scroll down the page for more examples.
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Spelling Patterns:
OU is often used in the middle of words.
OW is often used at the end of words or before an “n”.
ou, ow | Diphthongs
Phonics Songs and Stories. Learn to Read
OU and OW
Similar Sounds | Sounds Alike | How to Read
The Sound of Ou/Ow - Diphthong ‘ou/ow’
| Other Digraphs | ||
|---|---|---|
| AR Sound | Er,Ir,Ur | OR Sound |
| Ar,Er,Ir,Or,Ur | Ou, Ow | Oi, Oy |
| OO Sound | ||
Free Printable Worksheets for Consonant Digraphs
These worksheets focus on the consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, qu and ng.
| Printable Worksheets (Consonant Digraphs) | |
|---|---|
|
Learning "ch" |
Learning "sh" |
|
Learning "th" |
Learning "qu" |
|
Learning "ng" |
|
Free Printable Worksheets for Digraphs
| Printable Worksheets (EE, OO, OU, OI, AW) | |
|---|---|
|
EE Words |
OO Words |
|
OI Words |
AW Words |
Learn the sound of the letters
Learning Short Vowels
| Short Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Short A | Short E | Short I |
| Short O | Short U | Short Vowels |
Learning Long Vowels
| Long Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Long A | Long E | Long I |
| Long O | Long U | Y (vowel) |
| Long Vowels | Short & Long Vowels | |
Compare Short & Long Vowels
| Short & Long Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Short & Long A | Short & Long E | Short & Long I |
| Short & Long O | Short & Long U | |
Learning Consonants
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