Free Printable Phonics and Vowel Charts

About these phonics and vowel charts handouts

Phonics charts earn their place on a classroom wall because they show children that spelling is full of patterns. Each of these four charts focuses on one group of patterns. The short vowel chart lists five simple words for each vowel, all of the consonant-vowel-consonant type. The long vowel chart covers silent e and the common vowel teams, and shows how adding an e turns cap into cape.

The digraphs and blends chart separates two ideas that children often mix up. In a digraph, two letters make one new sound: sh, ch, th, wh and ck. In a blend, you can still hear each letter: the b and the l in block. The chart shows L-blends, R-blends, S-blends and the common ending blends. The vowel teams chart gathers oo, ou, ow, oi, oy, au, aw and the r-controlled spellings, with the sound each one makes.

Every example word was checked against the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary to confirm that its spelling contains the pattern and that its pronunciation has the target sound. That check removed words that look right but sound different, such as yellow for long o, where the final vowel is not stressed. Use the charts for a mini-lesson, a station, or as a take-home reference for families.

How to use them

1. Pick the chart that matches your current phonics focus.
2. Read the pattern at the left, then the example words together.
3. Have students read each word, tapping the sounds if they need to.
4. Ask for another word with the same pattern and write it on a whiteboard.
5. Send a copy home as a reference for reading practice.
6. Re-read the chart quickly each morning for a week.

Classroom tips

• Teach one row at a time; a full chart is a reference, not a lesson.
• Sort word cards into the chart's rows as a center activity.
• Point out the exceptions out loud; a pattern with a known exception is easier to remember.
• On the short vowel chart, use the blank lines for children to add their own word to each column.

Notes on this page

• Example words were checked against the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. A few pronunciations vary by region; the charts follow standard American English.

Where the facts come from

• Carnegie Mellon University, CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict 1.1.3): Pronunciation check for every example word

Last reviewed 2026-10-03. Handout Hero designs are original and made for this site. They are general reference material; check your own school, district or tradition where it matters.