Short & Long Vowel "I"

Understanding the difference between the short “I” sound and the long “I” sound is an important skill for early readers.

Short “I” Sound: /ɪ/
Description: The sound is short and clipped, like the “i” in “igloo."
Examples: sit, big, pin, lip, win

Long “I” Sound: /aɪ/
Description: The vowel says its name, like the “I” in “ice."
Examples: kite, fine, line, time, five

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

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Common Patterns for Short “I”
CVC Words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant)
Examples: sit, hit, pin, pig

Common Patterns for Long “I”
I_E: Silent “E” at the end of a word (e.g., kite, time, line).
IE: Often found in the middle or at the end of words (e.g., pie, die).
IGH: Typically in the middle of words (e.g., light, high, right).
Y: Found at the end of some words (e.g., fly, cry).

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

Long “i” vs Short “i” Sounds

• Show Video Lesson

What’s Cooking? - Tickled and Pickled Rib - short I sound

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Sam Spud - Binini Banana - Short I and short a

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Cliff Hanger and the Tricky Pixie - short i

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What’s cooking? Squished Fish on a Dish - short I sound

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Moby Duck - short I sound

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Learn the Sounds 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

Consonants
Letter B	Hard C	Soft C
Letter D	Letter F	Hard G
Soft G	Letter H	Letter J
Letter K	Letter L	Letter M
Letter N	Letter P	Letter Q
Letter R	Letter S	Letter T
Letter V	Letter W	Letter X
Letter Y	Letter Z

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