R Controlled Vowels Worksheets

All About These 15 Worksheets

R-controlled vowels, often referred to as “bossy R,” are an essential element of English phonics and pronunciation. Understanding how the letter ‘R’ influences the pronunciation of vowels is crucial for students as they develop their reading, writing, and speaking skills.

To support students in mastering this fundamental phonics concept, we present a collection of R-Controlled Vowels worksheets. These worksheets have been thoughtfully designed to provide students with structured and engaging opportunities to practice and refine their understanding of r-controlled vowels.

What are R Controlled Vowels Worksheets?

R Controlled Vowels Worksheets are educational resources designed to help students practice and learn about r-controlled vowels, which are vowels that are influenced or changed by the presence of the letter “r” in a word. These worksheets often include various activities, such as matching, sorting, or writing exercises, that focus on identifying and distinguishing between r-controlled vowels.

What Is Meant by R-Controlled Vowels?

We know that the English language has vowels that we all are familiar with. There may be only five of these vowels when we are writing words in English, but when it comes to speaking these words and pronouncing these vowels, these vowels A, E, I, O, U, make distinctive and various sounds that distinguishes the words we speak from one another.

The vowel sounds are called phonemes, and English has almost 20 phonemes. This means that the understanding of the sounds these vowels make is a complex and challenging process.

Vowel sounds are divided into a lot of categories. The common ones are:

1. Short Vowels

Short vowel sounds mean that the word doesn’t allow its vowel to make a prolonged sound. Common examples are: watch, bread, women, put, good, etc.

2. Long Vowels

A long vowel sound means that the word is allowing its vowel to make a sound that is similar to the spoken sound of that individual vowel. Long vowels can be made off one or multiple vowels. E.g., sea, new, car, tuna, sure, people, police, etc.

3. Diphthongs

Diphthongs are called gliding vowels, as this combination of two vowels allows their pronunciation to start from one vowel, and gradually move towards the other vowel. The resulting sound is a single syllable. For example, stain, noun, toe, mauve, height, noise, etc.

4. R-Controlled Vowels

R controlled vowels are immediately followed by the letter “r.” When a vowel is followed by “r,” it can neither be spoken as a short vowel nor a long vowel rather they are affected by the sound of the letter “r,” and the two letters, “r” and the vowel, are spoken as a different sound. Common examples include:

• Car
• Bird
• Fern
• Star
• Stir
• Chair
• Pear
• Swarm
• Fork
• Nurse

R-controlled vowels are very prominent and important in the English language. They are also very easy to mispronounce, and that leads to a completely different meaning of a word.

In an R-controlled vowel, you can assume that the “r” is a bossy entity that takes up the significant sound of the vowel and bends it to create a new sound affected by it.

R-controlled vowels may make up only a small percentage of single syllable words in English, but the letter “r” has such a strong influence on these vowels that we consider it to be in charge of that sound.

Let’s start with the most common example of the word “bird.” When you speak this word, you will notice that the most dominant sound that the letters are making are those of “b,” “r,” and “d.” Notice how the sound of “i” has been completely eliminated from the word and is replaced by a modified version of sound that “ir” makes.

Take another example of the word “four.” Here, we can simply pronounce “four” as “for,” as the vowel “u” has been followed by “r,” and therefore, the sound of the individual vowel “u” is masked by the single sound that “ur” makes in combination.

However, it is to be noted that not all vowels are influenced by the sound of “r.” When the vowels “a” and “o” precede the letter “r,” it is not always necessary that their individual sounds would be replaced by an R-controlled vowel.

For example, when you look at the word “arrow,” you will notice that the vowel “a” retains its specific sound, even though it has “r” written right next to it. Similarly, the word “doctor” makes a distinctive sound of the vowel “o” even when there is an “r” letter following it.

But in other cases, the vowel combinations ar and or are influenced by the dominant sound of the R-controlled vowels, and the resulting effect is the change in the sound of that individual vowel. E.g., beggar and corn.

The Importance of R-Controlled Vowels

Understanding and mastering r-controlled vowels is of paramount importance for several reasons:

1. Reading Proficiency: R-controlled vowels are a common feature in English words, and their correct pronunciation is essential for fluent reading. Recognizing and pronouncing them accurately is crucial for comprehension.
2. Spelling Competence: Proficiency in r-controlled vowels enhances students’ spelling skills. When they can identify and use r-controlled vowels correctly, they are more likely to spell words accurately.
3. Vocabulary Building: Learning r-controlled vowels exposes students to a broader range of words, enriching their vocabulary and comprehension.
4. Clear Communication: Accurate pronunciation of r-controlled vowels is essential for clear and effective oral communication. It ensures that messages are conveyed correctly and understood by others.

This collection of R-Controlled Vowels worksheets is a valuable resource for educators and parents committed to supporting their students’ phonics and literacy development. Proficiency in r-controlled vowels is not just an academic exercise; it’s a fundamental skill that opens the doors to effective communication, spelling accuracy, and reading fluency.

By using these engaging worksheets, students will strengthen their ability to recognize and use r-controlled vowels with confidence. This collection is an investment in their future success, ensuring they have a solid foundation in r-controlled vowels, phonemic awareness, spelling, and vocabulary.