Meaning & use
long vowel
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A vowel sound that is held for longer than a short one, or, in teaching, one that matches the letter's name, as in the word 'cake'.
Grammar: Usually used with an or the: the word 'moon' has a long vowel.
Patterns
- a long vowel in something
The word 'beet' has a long vowel, while 'bit' has a short one.
Children learn that a silent e at the end of a word often makes the vowel before it a long vowel.
In some languages a long vowel can completely change the meaning of a word.
Word forms
| plural | long vowels |
|---|
Common combinations
- pronounce a long vowel
- Learners often fail to pronounce a long vowel clearly enough.
- followed by a long vowel
- The consonant is followed by a long vowel in 'mate'.
- mark a long vowel
- In the dictionary a macron is used to mark a long vowel.
- long vowel sound
- The word 'seed' has a long vowel sound in the middle.
- short and long vowels
- The teacher drew a chart of short and long vowels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tense vowel
- Tense vowel is a phonetic term about muscle tension in the mouth, whereas long vowel stresses length or the letter-name sound.
- diphthong
- A diphthong glides from one vowel quality to another within one syllable, while a long vowel stays steady.
- elongated vowel
- Elongated vowel suggests a vowel stretched out for effect, not a regular category of sounds.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: long vowel or diphthong?
long vowel vs diphthong
A diphthong combines two vowel sounds in one syllable, as in 'coin'. A long vowel is one sound held longer.
Practice
Which word contains a long vowel in the sense of the vowel saying its own letter name?
Choose one answer.
Cape has a silent e that makes the a say its name. Cap, cop and cup all have short vowels.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “long vowel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.