Short E Words

Vowel sounds come in two varieties: long vowels and short vowels. When it comes to decoding words, beginning readers most frequently start with short vowels. Why? Because short vowels have fewer spelling variations. That makes it easier to master the sounds before moving on to the more complex long vowels. Some short vowels have only a single common spelling pattern, such as the Short A sound, while others are a bit more complicated. The short E sound, for example, can be produced in multiple ways. Let's take a look at short E words.

In phonics, the Short E sound (ĕ) is a what is called a relaxed middle vowel sound. That’s because the lips and jaws are relaxed when pronouncing the sound, rather than wide open or rounded. When saying the Short E sound, the middle of the tongue rounds upward. For some people, the sides of the tongue may rest against the top and bottom side teeth. Below is an example Short E sound mouth formation.

As with all phonics sounds, it is a good idea for new readers to practice saying short E words in front of a mirror. Doing so will allow them to see how their mouth moves when making the short E sound.

The Short E is pronounced “eh” as in egg, echo, and edge. 

When practicing short E words with your child, avoid examples such in which the second letter of the word is F, L, M, N, or S, such as effort, elephant, empty, engine, or escape. Words like these can be confusing to children just learning the Short E sound because the first syllable sounds like the name of the letter following the E. While children will encounter short E words that feature these letter combinations, it is best to avoid them when first introducing the sound. 

Children who are just beginning to read and decode words will most likely encounter the Short E as the middle letter in a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word. Some examples of CVC Short E words include wet, fed, leg, and hem. 

As a child's decoding skills increase and they learn to read longer words, the Short E will appear with letter blends. Some common short E words include: fled, bred, west, and step. 

Pro Tip: Two-syllable words can often be tricky for children just learning to read because of something called a schwa. A schwa is a weak, unstressed vowel that doesn't carry a typical vowel sound. Take for example the word basket. The word looks like it contains a Short E, but the e actually creates a different sound—the schwa sound—which can easily trip up young readers.

Below are more examples of short E words. For short E word lists and short E activities, see the activity section after this article.

Pro Tip: While the use of a single E is the most commonly used spelling of the short E sound, it is not the only way to make the sound. As a reader’s decoding skills advance, they will learn advanced short E spelling patterns including “ea” as in “bread” and “feather,” and “ai” as in “said” and “mountain.” Learning to decode these Short E spelling patterns comes later in a child’s reading journey.

Children learn to read by blending sounds together. One of the best ways to work on this skill is through the introduction of word families.

A word family is a set of words that share a common feature. For early readers, that common feature is typically the ending sound of the word.

Below is a list of Short E word families to begin with:

• -ed
• -eg
• -em
• -en
• -ep
• -et
• -ex

Pro Tip: Although words containing “er” seem like they should be Short E words, they actually fall under a unique category called “R-controlled vowels” that are neither short vowels nor long vowels. 

Pro Tip: The letters "ew" are considered a vowel team, and make a different sound than Short E.

As children's abilities to blend letters improves, they  may move into more complex Short E word families such as:

• -ell
• -end
• -ent
• -ess
• -est

Word families may be presented as a list of words for a new reader to practice decoding, such as the one below.

The more a new reader practices a spelling pattern, the more ingrained it will become until reading and recognizing the spelling pattern becomes second nature.

Understanding the Short E spelling pattern is about more than being able to read a single word containing a short E. It is also about being able to recognize the sound a short E makes in a word. Begin by asking your child to read single words that use the short E sound. Then try stringing several words together to form a sentence. Below is sample decodable text featuring short E words:

• Ben wed Jen.
• Ted fed the ten men.
• Ken let Peg get wet.

Note that each of these sentences features only CVC words. Once your child has mastered reading CVC words featuring the short E sound, try introducing short E sentences that feature consonant blends. Below are sample decodable sentences featuring short E words that contain consonant blends

• The jet sped west.
• The red pen bled.
• The vet sent the best men.

Pro Tip: Writing sentences without the words such as the, and, and is can be challenging. These words are high-frequency words and are among the first children memorize. Don't be afraid to include them in sentences, but to be sure to help your child read them.

• Once a child has mastered other short vowel sounds, encourage them to identify the vowel used in common words.
• Print a short E word on a piece of paper, with a picture of the word on the other side. Do this for several words, all using the short E sound. Encourage your child to read the word. Then flip the card over to see if they read it correctly.

  Once your child has mastered short E words, add cards that feature all five short vowel sounds. Encourage your child to say the name of the picture word out loud as many times as needed to identify the vowel used. Then ask them to put the card in a pile labeled with the correct short vowel sound. Once all of the words are sorted, turn the cards over to see if the words were properly sorted.

• Ask your child to read sentences featuring Short E words. Then test their comprehension by asking them to draw a picture of what they read.
• Download our Short E activities and word lists below for more practice.