Do you know the most common vowel sound in the English language?
Aug 26, 2024It is not a, e, i, o, or u?
WHAT?
Yep, it's called schwa.
Schwa is a vowel sound that replaces the true vowel sound. It usually occurs in the unaccented or unstressed syllable of a word.
Understanding the schwa sound clarifies👓 a lot for parents. When they tell their child to "sound it out" to read or spell and the word doesn't sound right it creates misinformation and more confusion 😕 . However, when they can explain why the vowel sound is not pure, it greatly impacts students' reading and spelling 😀 .
Schwa Tips:
💡any vowel can make a schwa sound
💡the schwa sound can be the short /u/ or /i/
💡the schwa is usually in the unstressed syllable
💡the unstressed syllable is said faster and there is less emphasis on the vowel sound
💡if long and short vowel sounds don’t work, then try the schwa sound
💡the letter a at the beginning or end of a multisyllabic word is usually a schwa
💡the vowel before the letter l or n at the end of words is usually a schwa
Schwa Tips:
💡any vowel can make a schwa sound
💡the schwa sound can be the short /u/ or /i/
💡the schwa is usually in the unstressed syllable
💡the unstressed syllable is said faster and there is less emphasis on the vowel sound
💡if long and short vowel sounds don’t work, then try the schwa sound
💡the letter a at the beginning or end of a multisyllabic word is usually a schwa
💡the vowel before the letter l or n at the end of words is usually a schwa
