Short & Long Vowel "E"

Learning Short and Long Vowel “E”
Understanding the difference between the short “E” sound and the long “E” sound is a key step in learning to read and write.

The Sounds of “E”

1. Short “E” Sound: /ɛ/

• Found in words like bed, red, and pen.
• Sounds like the “e” in “elephant.”

2. Long “E” Sound: /iː/

• Found in words like see, tree, and beet.
• The “E” says its name, as in “eagle.”

3. Sometimes “E” is silent.
   Learn about the Silent E

Some examples of Short Vowel “e” Words are:
bed, beg, fed, gem, get, hen, hem, jet, led, leg, let, men, met, net, pen, peg, pet, red, set, ten, yet, wet.

The following diagram shows some examples of short E and long E words. Scroll down the page for more examples and stories using the short E and long E words.

Vowel E Game: Distinguish the Long & Short Vowel E.

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Spelling Patterns
Short “E”
Appears in CVC words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant).
Examples: bed, pet, pen, net, red
Long “E”
Appears in specific spelling patterns:
E (Open syllable at the start) (e.g. equal, even)
EE: Seen in the middle of words (e.g., see, tree).
EA: Seen in the middle of words (e.g., sea, bead).
E at the End of a Syllable: Seen in one-syllable words (e.g., he, me).
IE: Less common (e.g., field, chief).
Y: Seen at the end of two-syllable words (e.g., happy, baby).

Songs and stories to learn short “E” and long “E”

What Sounds Does “E” Make?
Let’s learn about phonics and the different sounds each letter can make! Long “E” sounds and short “E” sounds are different and unique to this letter. Sing along and dance along to the music

• Show Video Lesson

“Short e” and “Long e” Words

• Show Video Lesson

Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant - short e sound

• Show Video Lesson

The Vowel E

• Show Video Lesson

Cliff Hanger and the bed - short e sound

• Show Video Lesson

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 the Sound of Consonants

Consonant Sounds
B Sound	Hard C	Soft C
D Sound	F Sound	Hard G
Soft G	H Sound	J Sound
K Sound	L Sound	M Sound
N Sound	P Sound	Q Sound
P Sound	S Sound	T Sound
V Sound	W Sound	X Sound
Y Sound	Z Sound

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