Short I 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—specifically short A and short I. This is because they are not only the most common vowel sounds, but they are also the short vowels with the fewest spelling variations. Let's take a look at the short I words.

The Short I sound in phonics (ĭ) is formed by relaxing the lips and placing the front area of the tongue in the central/upper area of the mouth, as in the picture below.

Because certain accents can make the Short I and Short E sound similar, it is important to enunciate the Short I sound clearly when teaching it to young readers. (For example, the words bit and bet, can sound similar, depending on the speaker’s accent, as can pin and pen.) One way to help young readers see the difference in letters is to say short I words in front of a mirror, paying close attention to the way the mouth moves and the shape it makes.

Before children can learn to read, they must first understand the sound a letter makes. The Short I makes an ih sound, as in itch, igloo, or inside. 

The best way to teach the Short I sound is by focusing on words that begin with a Short I. This approach is recommended because it is easier for children learning phonics to isolate the first sound in a word than to break a word apart into its individual phonemes (or sounds). Be careful, though, to avoid words beginning with a Long I, such as ice, item, and ivy.

Pro Tip: Learning a letter sound is not the same as learning to read. When your child is ready to start blending words, begin with CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, which feature the Short I in the middle of the word.

When practicing the Short I sound, try saying the words aloud. Encourage your child to repeat back to you the first sound in the word. Then ask them to determine what letter makes that sound. 

Once they have mastered identifying the Short I at the beginning of a word, move on to CVC short I words.

Children who are just beginning to read and decode words are most likely to encounter the short I in CVC  words. Some examples of CVC short I words include pig, fin, lid, and sit.

As a child’s decoding skills increase they will encounter short I words that contain letter blends. Some common short I words include fish, sing, spin, and list.

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

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 I word families to begin with:

• -ib
• -id
• -ig
• -im
• -in
• -ip
• -it
• -ix

Pro Tip: Although words containing “ir” such as "bird" seem like they should be Short I words, they actually fall under a unique category called “r-controlled vowels” that are neither short vowels nor long vowels.

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

• -ill
• -ink
• -ish
• -ist

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.

Work with your child to recognize short I words. Begin by asking your child to read single words that use the short I sound. Then try stringing several words together to form a sentence. Below is sample decodable text featuring short I words:

• The lid is in the bin.
• Jim did a big jig.
• Tim hid six bibs.

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

• The wind lifts the list.
• The twins spit in the sink.
• Tim did a spin.

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 I 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 U 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 I 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 I words. Then test their comprehension by asking them to draw a picture of what they read.
• Download our Short I activities and word lists below for more practice.

One of the best ways to practice short vowel sounds is by reading short vowel specific books. While printed passages are good start, the sense of accomplishment a child feels from completing a physical book cannot be rivaled. This achievement can make a child feel like a "big kid."

Grounded in the Science of Reading and designed in consultation with Orton-Gillingham trained literacy specialist Marisa Ware, the Charge into Reading Decodable Readers take the guesswork out of learning to read!

The Short Vowel Beginning Reader Set is perfect for children who know their letter sounds and are ready to begin decoding or "sounding out" words. Each book in the set focuses on a single short vowel sound, building reading confidence one sound at a time. Compelling storylines paired with a strict scope and sequence make for a series that children won't just be ABLE to read, but that they will actually WANT to read.