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Teaching Long Vowel Patterns, R-Controlled Vowel Patterns, Ambiguous Vowel Patterns, and Diphthongs in Accented Syllables

Tammy Roose

Teaching complex word study concepts to students is no easy task. But fear not, for this blog post will serve as your reliable guide for teaching long vowel patterns, r-controlled vowel patterns, ambiguous vowel patterns, and diphthongs in accented or stressed syllables.

Within this post, you will find clear definitions and examples of the various vowel patterns found in accented syllables that you can use with your students. Additionally, you'll gain insight on when students are typically ready to learn about these patterns, as well as "ready to implement" activities for practicing long vowel patterns, r-controlled vowel patterns, ambiguous vowel patterns, and diphthongs in stressed syllables. Ready to jump in?

What is an accented or stressed syllable? How do you identify an accented syllable?

Words are composed of syllables that contain a single vowel sound and typically some consonants. Some syllables within a word are stressed or accented over others, meaning that syllable is said slightly louder than the other syllables. In the accented or stressed syllable of a word, one can clearly hear the full vowel sound (whether long or short) while vowels in the unstressed syllables of a word are less emphasized.​

What are some examples of accented or stressed syllables?

  • es/cape - The second syllable is stressed (the "es" syllable is deemphasized, and you can clearly hear the long a vowel sound in the "cape" syllable)​

  • ig/nite - The second syllable is stressed (the long I in "nite" can clearly be heard)​

  • fool/ish - The first syllable is stressed (the long o sound in the "fool" syllable is full heard and emphasized over the "ish" syllable)​

  • close/ly - The first syllable is stressed (the long o sound in the "close" syllable is fully heard and emphasized over the "ly" syllable)

What are the long-vowel patterns in accented or stressed syllables that students need to learn?

When students were in the Within Word Pattern stage they learned about the long-vowel patterns highlighted below as well, however they worked primarily with one-syllable words then. Now that students have learned about syllable segmenting, it is helpful to review these patterns when learning about accented syllables because they are both useful tools when reading and spelling new and unfamiliar words.


* Note: I've linked each of these long-vowel patterns in accented syllables to resources that can be used to teach these skills. You can find the bundle for teaching Long Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables here.

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What are the other vowel patterns in accented syllables that students need to learn?

Again, students were introduced to r-controlled vowel patterns, ambiguous vowel patterns and diphthongs in one-syllable words in the Within Word Pattern stage, but it is important to circle back to them again as students begin working with multisyllabic words in order for them to use their knowledge of these vowel patterns as one tool in helping them decode and spell new and unfamiliar words.

  • R-Controlled Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables

R-Controlled vowels, also known as R-Influenced vowels (and sometimes lovingly called "Bossy R"😂) are the vowels immediately followed by the letter r where the inclusion of the r changes the way the vowel is typically pronounced. The r, when directly following one vowel, has vowel-like qualities because it makes the vowel that precedes it neither long nor short. 

  • Ambiguous Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables

Ambiguous vowels are vowel combinations that can make a variety of different sounds or multiple different vowel combinations that all make the same sound. I like to think of ambiguous vowels as hard to pin down and attach rules or generalizations to, making them challenging for students to spell.

  • Diphthong Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables

A diphthong, pronounced dif-thong, is the sound created when two vowels blend together in a single syllable. The vowel sound is neither a short or long vowel sound, rather it starts out sounding like the first vowel but then glides into the other. For example, in the word toy, the vowel starts off sounding like a long o but then glides into a long e sound at the end of the word. Much like r-controlled vowels, the two individual vowel sounds cannot be separated within the word.

* Note: I've linked each of these vowel patterns in accented or stressed syllables to resources that can be used to teach these skills. You can find the bundle for teaching Other Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables here.

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In what grade-level are Long Vowel, R-Controlled Vowel, Diphthongs, and Ambiguous Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables taught?

Teaching long-vowel and other vowel patterns in accented or stressed syllables are developmentally appropriate for students in the middle of the Syllables and Affixes stage. These students have a strong foundation of knowing and accurately using long-vowel patterns, r-controlled vowel patterns, ambiguous vowel patterns, and diphthongs in one-syllable words, however, frequently make mistakes when applying these same patterns to two-syllable words.

Syllables and Affixes students are typically in 4th-5th grade, but you may find that some 3rd grade students are ready for this stage.

What are some common difficulties students have when reading and spelling long vowels, r-controlled vowels, ambiguous vowels, and diphthongs in accented syllables?

Reading and spelling long vowels, r-controlled vowels, ambiguous vowels, and diphthongs in stressed syllables can be challenging for students due to several reasons. First, they may not have a solid foundation of these vowel patterns when they were introduced in the Within Word Pattern stage with one-syllable words. If that is the case, spelling errors involving the vowels will be plentiful and will indicate that more time needs to be spent learning and memorizing the vowel patterns reviewed at this stage.

Example → Words like explain, tonight, serving, haircut, and worse may be spelled explane, tonit, surving, harrcut, and wurs.

Students might also struggle to identify the syllable juncture and/or accent in multisyllabic words, especially those with multiple vowels, making it hard for them to know whether a vowel sound is long or short, impeding their ability to fluently read or spell the word accurately. In this case, direct instruction and repeated practice is needed surrounding syllable types and syllable juncture. Help students connect the importance of identifying open vs. closed syllables at the syllable juncture to help them know how to accurately read and spell the word.

Example → reading thousand as tho-sand, complain as comb-plan, or lightning as lig-ting

What types of activities benefit students working on Long Vowel Patterns, R-Controlled Vowel Patterns, Ambiguous Vowel Patterns, and Diphthongs in Accented Syllables?

Because identifying which syllable is accented or stressed is a new skill for students, they need LOTS of exposure and opportunities to practice using the familiar long-vowel and other vowel patterns to help them identify accent so that they may transfer this knowledge when spelling and decoding new words in reading and writing. Think sorts, word searches, speaking/pronunciation word work activities, and even games.

One of my favorites is the card game, Stressed! I’m Out!. Students begin with five playing cards displaying words or pictures that have long-vowel patterns in them. They take turns flipping over a card from the draw pile, containing the various long vowel patterns they are studying as well as 1st syllable stressed/2nd syllable stressed cards.

Students must discard as many word or picture cards as they can on top of the drawn card. They then must record all discarded words on their recording sheet, segmenting the words into syllables and noting which syllable is stressed. After players record their words, they draw from their personal stack of word/picture cards to replenish their hand and ensure they are holding five cards.  Play continues until one of the players uses all of their cards and says “STRESSED! I’m OUT!” to win the game.

Another great one is the board game, Secure the Earthworm, where students take turns drawing game cards containing the vowel patterns URE, EAR, and ERE and finding the next word on the board that is missing the vowel pattern they drew. They then complete the word by filling in the appropriate vowel pattern on a recording sheet. There are also several “wild cards” that provide an extra level of anticipation and excitement for students if they are playing with a partner. 😉 The first player to reach the end of the game path, wins the game!

In Four In A Row, students have a 4 by 4 board that contains a combination of words and images depicting a word, all with the words and vowel patterns they have been studying. Students take turns (if playing with a partner) spinning the spinner and covering a word or picture that correlates with the long-vowel pattern or syllable stressed spun. The first player to get 4 spaces covered in a row, wins the game!

These games are just a few of many! You can find all of the games and activities I suggest using in the Long-Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables BUNDLE and the Other Vowel Patterns in Accented Syllables BUNDLE.

I’M WITH YOU ALL THE WAY, TEACHER FRIEND!

At this point in the Syllables and Affixes stage, students are beginning to combine and pull from everything they have been taught thus far about phonemes, words, syllables, vowel patterns, etc. to begin using their knowledge to read and spell new words and improve their fluency. Think beyond just having students spell the words on the word list correctly. The concepts they are learning now will serve as important tools as readers and writers for the rest of their lives. Make sure to give them ample time to hone and master these new skills!

Looking for more Syllables and Affixes Resources?

You can get all of the Syllables and Affixes Stage games and activities in a time-saving, money saving bundle!

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