Short & Long Vowel "E"
Related Pages
Phonic Sounds
English for Kids
These lessons, with videos, examples, stories and songs, help Grade 1 kids learn about the short and long vowel “E” with fun, stories and songs.
Learning Short and Long Vowel “E”
Understanding the difference between the short “E” sound and the long “E” sound is a key step in learning to read and write.
The Sounds of “E”
- Short “E” Sound: /ɛ/
- Found in words like bed, red, and pen.
- Sounds like the “e” in “elephant.”
- Long “E” Sound: /iː/
- Found in words like see, tree, and beet.
- The “E” says its name, as in “eagle.”
- Sometimes “E” is silent.
Learn about the Silent E
Some examples of Short Vowel “e” Words are:
bed, beg, fed, gem, get, hen, hem, jet, led, leg, let, men, met, net, pen, peg, pet, red, set, ten, yet, wet.
The following diagram shows some examples of short E and long E words. Scroll down the page for more examples and stories using the short E and long E words.
Spelling Patterns
Short “E”
Appears in CVC words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant).
Examples: bed, pet, pen, net, red
Long “E”
Appears in specific spelling patterns:
E (Open syllable at the start) (e.g. equal, even)
EE: Seen in the middle of words (e.g., see, tree).
EA: Seen in the middle of words (e.g., sea, bead).
E at the End of a Syllable: Seen in one-syllable words (e.g., he, me).
IE: Less common (e.g., field, chief).
Y: Seen at the end of two-syllable words (e.g., happy, baby).
Songs and stories to learn short “E” and long “E”
What Sounds Does “E” Make?
Let’s learn about phonics and the different sounds each letter can make! Long “E” sounds and short “E” sounds are different and unique to this letter. Sing along and dance along to the music
“Short e” and “Long e” Words
Chicken Jane and the Red Elephant - short e sound
The Vowel E
Cliff Hanger and the bed - short e sound
Learning Short Vowels
| Short Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Short A | Short E | Short I |
| Short O | Short U | Short Vowels |
Learning Long Vowels
| Long Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Long A | Long E | Long I |
| Long O | Long U | Y (vowel) |
| Long Vowels | Short, Long Vowels | |
Compare Short & Long Vowels
| Short & Long Vowels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Short & Long A | Short & Long E | Short & Long I |
| Short & Long O | Short & Long U | |
Learning the Sound of Consonants
| Consonant Sounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| B Sound | Hard C | Soft C |
| D Sound | F Sound | Hard G |
| Soft G | H Sound | J Sound |
| K Sound | L Sound | M Sound |
| N Sound | P Sound | Q Sound |
| P Sound | S Sound | T Sound |
| V Sound | W Sound | X Sound |
| Y Sound | Z Sound | |
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