E.1 Identify and spell words with r-controlled vowels
What are R-controlled vowels?
R-controlled vowels are vowels that are followed by the letter r. When this happens, the r changes the way the vowel sounds. The vowel no longer makes its regular short or long sound.
- a + r → car
- e + r → her
- i + r → bird
Remember: When a vowel is followed by r, it is no longer a pure vowel sound. We call this an r-controlled vowel sound.
The five main R-controlled vowels
Each vowel can be followed by r to make a new sound. These patterns are common in reading and writing.
- ar → car, star
- er → her, sister
- ir → bird, girl
- or → corn, storm
- ur → turn, nurse
er, ir, and ur usually sound the same. Pay attention to the spelling when you write.
How to read R-controlled vowels
When you see a vowel followed by r, read the vowel and r together as one sound. Do not try to separate them.
- farm → say “far” as one sound, then add “m.”
- corn → say “cor” as one sound, then add “n.”
- bird → say “bir” as one sound, then add “d.”
Cover the ending letters and focus on the r-controlled vowel first. Then blend the rest of the word.
Common words with R-controlled vowels
You will see many r-controlled vowels in everyday reading. Learning them will help you become a stronger reader.
- ar → car, park, hard
- er → letter, teacher, butter
- ir → shirt, first, circle
- or → horse, morning, north
- ur → curl, purple, turtle
Practice reading these words out loud. The more you practice, the faster you will recognize the r-controlled vowel sound.
Using R-controlled vowels in sentences
Once you know the sounds, try reading and writing full sentences with r-controlled vowels. This helps you apply what you learn.
- “The bird is in the tree.”
- “She has a purple shirt.”
- “We drove the car to the park.”
If a sentence sounds strange, check if you are reading the r-controlled vowel as one sound.