UFLI Phonics Rules

Syllables and Vowels

• Open syllables end in a vowel. The vowel says its name (like in “go”).
• Closed syllables end in one or more consonants. The vowel makes its short sound (like in “cat”).
• The letter y makes a sound like /y/ when it’s at the beginning of a word (like in “yes”).

Special Vowel Rules

• When a comes before m or n, it makes a “whiny” sound (like in “am” or “fan”).
• When y is at the end of a word, it can say:
  • Long i (like in “cry”)
  • Long e in two-syllable words (like in “funny”)
• The vowel pair ea usually says long e (like “eat”), but sometimes it says short e (like “head”).
• Sometimes a sounds like short o, especially after w (like in “water” or “swamp”).

Doubling and Endings

• After a short vowel, double f, l, s, or z (like in “puff,” “bell,” “miss,” “fizz”).
• Use ck at the end of a word or syllable right after a short vowel (like in “duck”).
• Use tch and dge at the end of a word after a short vowel (like in “match” and “badge”).

Hard and Soft Sounds

• The letters c and g make soft sounds (/s/ and /j/) when followed by e, i, or y (like in “cent” or “giraffe”).

R-Controlled Vowels

• These are vowels followed by r that change the sound:
  • ar, er, ir, or, ur
• When or is at the end of a word, it often becomes ore (like in “store”).
• When a word starts with w, “or” may sound like er (like in “word”).

Vowel Teams

• ai = long a, comes at the beginning or middle (like “rain”)
• ay = long a, comes at the end (like “play”)
• ee, ea = long e, can be beginning, middle, or end (like “see,” “meat”)
• ey = long e at the end of two-syllable words (like “monkey”)
• oa = long o at the beginning or middle (like “boat”)
• ow = long o at the end or sometimes middle (like “snow”)
• oe = long o at the end (like “toe”)
• ie = long i at the end (like “pie”)
• igh = long i in the middle or end (like “night”)
• oo can be long (like “moon”) or short (like “book”)
• u can be long (like “unicorn”) or short (like “umbrella”)
• ew = long u at the end (like “few”)
• ui = long u in the middle (like “fruit”)
• ue = long u at the end (like “blue”)
• au, aw, augh = say “aw” (like in “cause,” “saw,” “caught”)

Diphthongs (two vowels that make one sound)

• oi = at the beginning or middle (like “coin”)
• oy = at the end (like “boy”)
• ou, ow = say “ow” and appear at the beginning, middle, or end (like “shout” and “cow”)

Silent Letters

• kn is silent k at the beginning (like “knee”)
• wr is silent w at the beginning (like “write”)
• mb is silent b at the end (like “thumb”)

Compound Words

• A compound word is two shorter words joined together (like “sunflower”).

Affixes

• An affix is something added to a word to change its meaning.
• There are two kinds of affixes:
  • Prefixes go at the beginning of a word.
  • Suffixes go at the end of a word.
• Prefixes and suffixes are morphemes—word parts that carry meaning and help change what a word means.

Suffixes and Verb Endings

• -s and -es make nouns plural (dogs, boxes) and can change verb tense (runs, washes).
  • Use -es when a word ends in sh, ch, s, x, or z.
• -ed makes the past tense of verbs. It can sound like:
  • /d/ after a voiced sound (like “played”)
  • /t/ after an unvoiced sound (like “jumped”)
  • /id/ after t or d (like “landed”)
• -ing is added to verbs to show ongoing actions (like “running”).

Suffixes

• -er = means “more” (like “taller”)
• -est = means “most” (like “fastest”)
• -ly = means “like” or “how something is done” (like “quickly”)
• -less = means “without” (like “hopeless”)
• ful = means “full of” (like “joyful”)

Prefixes

• un- = means “not” or “opposite of” (like “unhappy”)
• pre- = means “before” (like “preview”)
• re- = means “again” (like “redo”)
• dis- = means “not” or “apart” (like “dislike”)

Consonant Doubling Rule

• When adding -ed, -ing, -er, or -est to a word with one short vowel followed by one consonant, double the final consonant.
  • Example: hop → hopping, big → bigger
• This happens in closed syllables (short vowel followed by a consonant).

Drop the E Rule

• If a word ends with a silent e, drop the e before adding -ed, -ing, -er, or -est.
  • Example: bake → baking
• Note: This rule does not apply when adding -ly.
  • Example: safe → safely

Y to I Rule

• If a word ends in y:
  • And the letter before the y is a consonant, change the y to i before adding -er, -est, -ed, -s, or -es.
    • Example: happy → happier, cry → cries
  • If the letter before the y is a vowel, do not change the y.
    • Example: play → playing
  • When adding -ing, do not change y to i.
    • Example: cry → crying

Suffixes: What They Mean

• -er / -or / -ist:
  • Mean “a person who…” (like teacher, sailor, artist)
  • -er can also compare things (like taller)
• -ish: Means “somewhat” or “like” (like greenish)
• -y: Turns a noun into a describing word (like cloud → cloudy)
• -ly: Means “in a way” or “how something is done” (like quick → quickly)
• -ness: Turns an adjective into a noun (like kind → kindness)
  • Follows the y to i rule (happy → happiness)
• -ment: Turns a verb into a noun, means the result or state of something (like enjoy → enjoyment)
• -able / -ible: Means “can be” or “able to” (like fixable, visible)
  • Drop the silent e before adding -able or -ible

Prefixes: What They Mean

• un- = not or opposite
  • Example: unfair, unsafe, undo, unhappy
• pre- = before
  • Example: preview, preschool, preheat
• re- = again or back
  • Example: redo, rewrite, replay, return
• dis- = not or apart
  • Example: dislike, disconnect, dishonest, disagree
• uni- = one
  • Example: unicycle, uniform, unicorn
• bi- = two
  • Example: bicycle, bilingual, biweekly
• tri- = three
  • Example: tricycle, triangle, trilogy

Alternate Spellings for Long Vowels

• Long A:
  • ei (middle) | Examples: veil, neighbor, their
  • ey (end) | Examples: they, convey, obey
  • eigh (middle) | Examples: eight, weigh, freight
  • ea (middle) | Examples: great, steak, break
• Long U:
  • ew (end) | Examples: nephew, few, chew, threw
  • eu (beginning) | Examples: eucalyptus, Europe
  • ue (end) | Examples: rescue, blue, true, cue
• Long O:
  • ough | Examples: though, although, dough
  • aw | Examples: law, draw, claw, straw
  • aught / ought | Examples: brought, fought, taught

Final Stable Syllables

These syllables always stay the same at the end of a word.

• -le
  • This ending follows a consonant and sounds like /əl/.
    • Examples: apple, puzzle, table, bottle, little
• -tion
  • Usually sounds like /shun/.
    • Examples: rotation, vacation, station, action
• -sion
  • Can sound like /zhun/ or /shun/.
    • Examples: vision, decision, confusion, mission
• -ture
  • This ending sounds like “cher” and appears at the end of some nouns.
    • Examples: picture, nature, creature, structure, feature, adventure

Silent Letters & Oddball Rules

• gn
  • Silent g at the beginning, or just n sound at the end.
    • Examples: gnat, gnome, reign, design, campaign
• gh
• Silent in some words, especially before t or at the end of words.
  • Examples: ghost, high, night, thought, sigh, weigh
• t
  • Sometimes silent in the middle of a word.
    • Examples: whistle, listen, castle, hustle, often
• ch
  • Can make different sounds:
    • /k/ sound (hard ch)
      • Examples: chord, chorus, school, chemical, architect
    • /sh/ sound (soft ch)
    • Examples: chute, chef, machine, charade