I words phonics word list

Learn all about long i and the six ways to spell the long i vowel sound: i, i-e, igh, y, y-e, and ie. You will also snag your own free printable list with 173 words with long i vowel sounds!

All About Long i

Just as with all long vowels, the long vowel sound is the same as the letter name.

• Long a says /ā/ like acorn.
• Long e says /ē/ like equal.
• Long i says /ī/ like ice.
• Long o says /ō/ like ocean.
• Long u says /yoo/ like unicorn, OR /oo/ like ruler.

I usually teach my students a little jingle to remember the sound long vowels make. We pound on the table and chant, “Long vowels say their names.” My students really respond positively to this, and it helps them to remember the sounds of long vowels!

Long i can be spelled 6 different ways: i, i-e, igh, y, y-e, and ie. All of these spelling patterns can result in the long i vowel sound. Examples include:

• i like lion.
• i-e like bike.
• igh like light.
• y like fly.
• y_e like type.
• ie like pie.

👉 Scroll to the bottom to download our free, comprehensive long i word list PDF!

i – Open Syllable Words & Wild/Old Words

The letter i by itself will say its long sound when it is the last letter in a syllable. This is called an open syllable. Think about words like hi, li/on, and pi/lot. Since the syllables end in the single letter i, the vowel will make its long i sound.

👉 Exceptions: We also hear the long i sound in many common, but irregular closed syllable words that break the rules.

These ‘exceptions to the rule’ are one-syllable words that end in -ild, -ilt, -ind, and -ist. These are sometimes referred to as Wild, Old Words.

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i-e (Long i with Silent E)

This pattern follows a VCe pattern and results in the letter i saying its name.

Use the sight word ‘like’ to teach this spelling pattern. Write it on the board and ask your students to read it. Because this word is usually one of the first sight words children learn, they should know it automatically.)

Follow this general script:

1. Teacher: Tap the sounds you hear in the word like. How many sounds do you hear?
2. Students: /l/ /ī/ /k/ = 3 sounds.
3. Teacher: But we see four letters! When we see i-consonant-e pattern in words, the i will say its long sound. That’s why ‘like’ has a long vowel sound in the middle. Without the letter e at the end, it would say ‘lick.’ Now imagine you raised your hand in class and said “I like my dog.” That magic e at the end is so important because, without it, my sentence would say “I lick my dog.” (Kids always get a hoot out of using this example in a sentence.)

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igh – Vowel Team

Refer to this spelling pattern as “igh – 3 letter i.” It’s a three-letter vowel team. This phonogram is totally irregular and cannot be sounded out.

We learned from The ABC’s and All Their Tricks that this spelling is actually a remnant of Old English and Old German, which is why it looks so strange to us!

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y – Vowel

Remember told old saying: “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y.” Well, let’s teach our students the rules for when the letter y actually is considered a vowel. They can know for sure when that “sometimes” really occurs.

👉 Y is considered a vowel when it comes at the end of a syllable or word.
👉 When Y is at the end of a root word, it makes the long i sound.

Multisyllabic words where the vowel y makes the long I sound:

fly	dry	dying	drying	deny	nylon
by	myself	shy	satisfy	multiply	occupy
my	cry	reply	hydrogen	magnify	cyclone
why	sly	spy	butterfly	neaby	modify
try	lying	thy	classify	Wyoming	recycle
sky	July	defy	apply	cyclops	tyrant

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y-e (Long Y with Silent E)

When y is in the middle of a word, it is also considered a vowel.

When a syllable follows a y-consonant-silent e pattern, the y makes the long i sound. Many of these words come from Greek, and the y makes the sound of i.

type	lyme	Bryce	style	analyze	genotype
hype	Clyde	byte	typewriter	archetype	freestyle
Kyle	hyde	thyme	paralyze	argylye	gigabyte
lyme	Lyle	tyke	enzyme	hairstyle	mistype

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ie – Vowel Team

IE is a vowel team. When it comes at the end of a root, it makes the long vowel i sound.

There are only a handful of words that include this vowel team, so teaching these four words together as a word family may be a better approach than teaching and reviewing the vowel team.

pie

die

lie

tie

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FAQ & Info

Related Posts

👉 Get the rest of the printable Long Vowel Word Lists: Long A, Long E, Long O, and Long U!

• Long & Short Vowel Sorts
• Silent E Worksheets
• Magic Wand Silent E Printable

The long i sound can be tricky to teach since it has several different ways to spell it. But with a handy word list, plan of action, and some fun activities you’ll have a much easier time teaching long i words and your students will thank you.

Looking for a long i word list? You can download the list pictured by signing up below. If you don’t see the signup form, click here.

Six Ways To Spell Long I

The long i sound can be represented by 6 different spelling patterns:

1. i – silent
2. i_e – kite
3. igh – night
4. y – my
5. y_e – type
6. ie – pie

Spelling Generalizations For Long I

Just I

In open syllables, the long i sound is represented by just the letter i by itself. Most of these will be 2 or more syllable words, such as silent and idea. Students must understand open and closed syllables to be able to apply this.

I alone can also make the long i sound when it comes before two consonants, as in the words pint and kind.

I_E

The i silent e spelling pattern is very common and one of the first students learn. Of course, students should be confident with the magic e syllable. These words are most often one syllable, and the long i sound will be in the middle of a base word or syllable. Some examples of long i words with silent e are mine and hike.

IGH

The igh spelling pattern is another common representation of the long i sound. Igh is a trigraph, since it is three letters representing one sound. This spelling pattern appears in the middle of a base word or syllable.

Some examples if igh words are sight and tonight. You can find more igh words in my free long i words list.

Y

When the long i sound is at the end of a base word, the most common way to spell it is with a y. Examples include: cry and why.

IE Vowel Team and Y_E

Both ie and y_e are less common ways to spell the long i sound. Examples include pie and type.

Tips For Teaching The Long I Sound

When you start teaching the long vowel sounds, you really have to focus on spelling generalizations, homophones, and homographs. Teach one spelling pattern at a time, and once one is mastered you can add in another. It’s much easier to learn how to read these than to learn how to spell. Since they all sound the same and can appear in the same place, choosing the right spelling pattern can be tricky.

One rule you can teach is that English words do not end in i. So students should know words that end with a long i sound won’t be spelled with just i. There are a few exceptions, most of which are foreign words (chai, macaroni, kiwi) but the one most students will notice is hi, and hi is slang for hello. But you won’t be using foreign words in your instruction so this rule can help students.

Teach the process for deciding on the spelling pattern.

This is what you’ll do for all long vowels, though for long o it is more specific.

Once students are familiar with all the options for spelling long i and they know open syllables and the silent e syllable, you can teach them the process for determining the spelling pattern a word has.

When students come across a word with long i and they need to figure out which spelling pattern to choose, here are the questions they can ask:

1. Is there more than one syllable?
2. Is there a base word?
3. Where is the long i sound in the word?
4. Could this be one of the less common ie or y_e words?

Students should first break the word into its syllables, and go through the questions.

This will take some practice so try going through a set of words with your students a few times, then have them do some more on their own. This is the same process they will use with other long vowel sounds so it’s a great skill for them to have.

Also, because there are multiple options expect students to get them wrong sometimes, and tell them this! It’s ok if they make mistakes as long as it’s another valid spelling option and not something that doesn’t follow any rules. Through repeated exposure and practice they will eventually internalize the correct spelling pattern for words.

Long I Activities & Lesson Ideas

Phoneme Grapheme Mapping – This is a great activity that really isolates the phonograms for students to practice. You can get the Phonics & Spelling Through Grapheme Mapping book and follow the long i lesson, or use my word list to do the same activity using sound boxes. See below for an example from my Long I Word Work set.

Sorting – Sorting is always a good idea when you have multiple options for spelling. You can play matching games like memory, just sort them into piles/columns, or create any game that requires sorting by spelling pattern. This builds phonemic awareness so it’s always a good activity for all students.

The example below is a page from my Long I Word Work set.

SOS – If you don’t already know what Simultaneous Oral Spelling is, then check out this post here. I love this multisensory spelling method for practicing spelling. And you can do this whole class or one on one making it really easy to use in any setting.

Picture cue cards – Create visual graphics of tricky words, homophones, and homographs. These picture cues really help students remember which pattern to use. I suggest you make these using index cards and keep them in a baggie or box for reference. See an example below (it’s for a long o sound but you get the idea).

Games – Of course, I always include games because it’s just so easy to add a stack of flashcards to any game and make it educational! Use an easy to play board game where students need to pick up a card on their turn and add a task like reading the word aloud and sorting it, or asking another player to spell it, or even something as simple as having them air write the word after reading it aloud. Or print off a teacher-made game here.

Dictation – This is another fantastic activity but I would do this after you have spent some time on long i because it is harder for students. Also when dictating words, give students a clue about the spelling such as telling them it’s a vowel team or open syllable.

Constant Review – Remember to keep these spelling patterns in constant review after they are learned, so they are not forgotten. Using a sound wall is a great way to do this without it taking any extra time.

Long I Worksheets

If you’re looking for long i worksheets, check out my set of Long I Word Work. It includes worksheets focusing on the different spelling patterns for the long i sound, some games and activities, reference sheets and posters, and a word list. Check it out here for more info.

If you’re looking for more tips on teaching reading to struggling learners, check out these other posts:

• Phonemic Awareness Strategies & Activities For Struggling Learners
• The 6 Syllable Types
• Why You Should Switch To A Sound Wall
• Reading Strategies for Struggling Readers – Elkonin Boxes
• Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies – My Secret Tip To Improve Reading Comprehension
• Multisensory Strategies for B & D Reversals – Dyslexia Intervention
• Multisensory Spelling Strategy for Struggling Learners – Dyslexia Spelling Strategy

Want to remember this? Save How To Teach The Long O Sound to your favorite Pinterest board!

There are 44 phonemes in English. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound. “Shop” for example contains 3 phonemes: sh-o-p. If you are new to the subject of phonics, you can pretty much substitute the word “sound” for “phoneme” and still get the gist of this blog. In the following content, I will provide a list of phonics sounds.

For a FREE printable list of phonics sounds, click on the pdf:

List of Phonics Sounds

Kids can benefit from learning phonemes systematically, meaning one at a time.

For 100 printable decodable books check out our shop.

In systematic phonics instruction, kids learn these 44 phonemes explicitly and the teacher writes the phonics sound on a sound card to be reviewed daily. For example, a teacher might say “oa” says /oa/ as in boat. Next, the kids will practice the /oa/ digraph in phonics lessons (while they review old phonics sounds as well). In future lessons, the child will see the “oa” letters and say the /oa/ sound. Systematic phonics instruction is an evidence-based method that ensures all kids learn to read, even kids with dyslexia and other language disorders.

Different curricula introduce these 44 phonemes in different orders. However, many children learn the phonemes in roughly the following order: letter sounds, short vowels, consonant digraphs, consonant blends, silent e, long vowels, r-controlled, inflectional endings, other vowel digraphs.

Reading Elephant offers systematic printable phonics books in our shop. Our series can help kids practice the most common English phonemes.

Letter Sounds (Consonants)

Typically, kids learn letter sounds first. Introduce 2-4 new letters at a time. Be sure to introduce them explicitly. For example, say “bee says /b/ as in bat.” Going forward, only say the sound when referring to “b.” In short, never say “bee” after you introduce the sound. This will help the child say the /b/ sound, as the sound unlocks the words bat, bug, bag… etc. The letter name “bee” unlocks nothing (ex. bat does not say beeat). Thus, be sure to emphasize the sound not the name.

Although letters can make various sounds, only introduce the following sounds for now. Don’t pile on content and tell the child “Well h says /h/ as in hat, but sometimes it says /f/ as in Phil, and sometimes its silent as in /igh/ and then there’s /sh/… etc.” This piling on of content causes reading failure. Teach one sound at a time. Let the child master that sound. Then, teach him one more. Continue in this systematic, patient manner. Over k-2, if done right, the child will have the time to master all 44 phonemes.

b as in bat

c as in cat

d as in dog

f as in frog

g as in goat

h as in hat

j as in jaguar

k as in kangaroo

l as in lion

m as in monkey

n as in nest

p as in panda

q as in queen

r as in rhinoceros

s as in snow

t as in turtle

v as in violin

w as in wing

x as in fox

y as in yak

z as in zebra

Short Vowels

Reading Elephant printable Sets 1-5 help kids practice short vowel sounds.

a_ as in apple (ex. hat, sat)

e_ as in elephant (ex. hen, pet)

i_ as in igloo (ex. sit, pig)

o_ as in octopus (ex. dog, pop)

u_ as in up (ex. cup, bug)

Consonant Digraphs

Reading Elephant printable Set 6 allows kids to practice consonant digraphs.

sh as in ship

th as in math

th as in then

ch as in chop

_tch as in match

_ck as in back

_ng as in long

_ing as in king

_ang as in sang

wh_ as in when

_ink as in pink

_ank as in tank

qu as in quick

Consonant Blends

Reading Elephant printable set 7 allows kids to practice consonant blends.

Consonant blends are 2 or more letter sounds in a row. Do not teach students to memorize blends. Teach them to decode blends sound-by-sound. Some samples include: fl as in flop, br as in brim and cl as in click. There are two exceptions. Teach kids to memorize tr as in truck and dr as in drop, as these two have a sound change. Otherwise, consonant blends, though on this list of phonics sounds, do not require memorization, only sound-by-sound decoding.

Silent e

Reading Elephant printable phonics books set 8 focuses on the e at the end pattern.

a_e as in make

e_e as in Pete

i_e as in kite

o_e as in hope

u_e as in use

u_e as in duke

Long Vowels

Reading Elephant printable books Sets 9-13 help kids practice long vowel sounds.

ee as in tree

ea as in seal

ai as in rain

_ay as in bay

oa as in boat

ow as in glow

igh as in light

_____y as in funny

_y as in my

oo/ew

Reading Elephant printable Set 14 helps kids practice oo/ew.

oo as in moon

oo as in look

ew as in new

R-Controlled

Reading Elephant printable Set 15 helps kids practice r-controlled sounds.

ar as in dark

er as in clerk

ir as in bird

ur as in turn

or as in fork

Inflectional Endings

Reading Elephant printable phonics books sets 16-18 (not currently available, in progress)

ing as in tipping (first vowel is short)

ing as in timing (first vowel is long)

ing with vowel patterns

ed as in missed (takes on t sound)

ed as in saved (takes on d sound)

ed as in rested (takes on id sound)

es as in saves

es as in matches

est as in fastest

Other vowel digraphs

ow as in town

ou as in pouch

au as in launch

aw as in lawn

oi as in soil

_oy as in joy

When c and g are followed by e, i or y…

Lastly, on our list of phonics sounds is the c and g exception. Usually c makes the hard /c/ sound as in cat. However, when c is followed by e, i or y, it changes to the /s/ sound. Usually g makes the hard /g/ sound as in goat. But when g is followed by e, i, or y, it changes to the /j/ sound.

c (e, i, y) as in face, city and cycle (the c changes to the s sound)

g (e, i, y) as in gem, gist and gym (the g changes to the j sound)

Reading Elephant printable phonics books can help kids practice the most common phonics sounds.

Phonics books (also known as decodable books) can help kids practice the above list of phonics sounds. These are books that help kids gradually learn phonics sounds. While reading these stories, kids can decode words sound-by-sound. Phonics stories can help kids build a strong decoding foundation.

The phonics sounds in this post are among the most common and most important units for kids to learn. Check out our shop to help your student master these sounds.