All about y

y is a tricky letter because it can be either a consonant or a vowel and corresponds with 4 sounds.

‘y’ can be a consonant (yes), although this sound is a lot more like an elongated /e/ vowel sound (see below) .

The long vowel sound /ī/ is spelled as 'y’ in a one syllable word, (my, fly, by, sky).

The long vowel sound /ē/ is spelled as 'y’ at the end of a two syllable word (bunny, puppy, happy).

And very rarely, the short vowel sound /i/ is spelled as ‘y’ (gym, myth, syrup)