long o /ō/
long o is the /ō/ sound like in ‘home’, or when the vowel says its name'.
1. /ō/ can be spelled o, like in focus, no, go, so, open
2. /ō/ can be spelled oa, like boat
3. /ō/ can be spelled ow, like slow
4. when the silent e uses its magic, like in ‘home’ (see magic e lesson: part 2, lesson 9)
5. /ō/ can be spelled oe (toe), ew (sew), ou (soul), ough (though)
ow oa slow boat
This is the long o sound /ō/
oa can be in the start of a word or syllable (oat), but it’s usually in the middle (boat, float, goat).
ow can be in the start, middle or end of a word or syllable (own, grown, slow), but it’s most frequently at the end (grow, snow, flow, blow).
oa and ow are called are digraphs — one sound represented by two letters. Sometimes when one sound is represented by more than one letter, the letters are called vowel teams. Go Team!
ow oa row boat
This is the long o sound /ō/
oa can be in the start of a word or syllable (oat), but it’s usually in the middle (boat, float, goat).
ow can be in the start, middle or end of a word or syllable (own, grown, slow), but it’s most frequently at the end (grow, snow, flow, blow).
oa and ow are digraphs — one sound represented by two letters. Sometimes when one sound is represented by more than one letter, the letters are called vowel teams. Go Team!