Reading Multisyllable Long Vowel Words

Some words are longer than two chunks. Words like "va-ca-tion," "dan-de-li-on," and "pho-to-graph" have three or four syllables. Once you can already break a word into two parts, this lesson shows you how to break even longer words into three, four, or more parts and read each long vowel sound clearly. This helps you read chapter books, science words, and big words on posters at school.

A syllable is one beat of a word. You can find syllables by clapping while you say a word slowly. The word "dinosaur" has three claps: di-no-saur. The word "vacation" has three claps too: va-ca-tion. Breaking a long word into chunks makes it much easier to read than trying to say the whole word at once.

Look at the word one small part at a time. Read the first chunk, then the next chunk, then the last chunk. After you read all the chunks, blend them back together to say the whole word. This is the same plan you used for shorter words, just with more parts to chunk and blend.

Every syllable has one vowel sound. In a long word, some of those vowel sounds are long, which means the vowel says its own name. In "va-ca-tion," the first two chunks each have a long a sound, so they say "vay" and "kay." In "pho-to," both chunks have long vowel sounds too, "foh" and "toh."

Long vowels show up in different patterns inside a syllable chunk. Some chunks end in a single vowel, like "po" in "po-ta-to," and the vowel says its own name. Some chunks have a silent e at the end, like "mo-ti-vate," where the e at the end makes the a say its name. Some chunks have two vowels working together, like the "ai" in "ex-plain."

Reading a long word is like putting puzzle pieces together. First you read each syllable chunk by itself. Then you slide the chunks together, saying them a little faster each time, until the whole word comes out smoothly. Try this with the word "cel-e-brate": say "sel," then "e," then "brate," then slide them together to say "celebrate."

Multisyllable word: A word with three or more syllables, like "dinosaur" or "vacation."

Syllable chunk: One small piece of a word that has one vowel sound.

Long vowel: A vowel sound that says its own letter name, like the a in "cake."

Open syllable: A chunk that ends in a vowel, like "po" in "po-ta-to," where the vowel often says its name.

Silent e syllable: A chunk ending in vowel, consonant, e, like "vate" in "mo-ti-vate," where the e makes the vowel before it say its name.

Vowel team: Two vowels together in one chunk that make one long sound, like "ai" in "ex-plain."

Blend: To say syllable chunks smoothly together to read the whole word.

Clap out long words you find around you, on cereal boxes, in your favorite storybook, or on the calendar. Try words like "sep-a-rate," "loc-a-tion," and "an-i-mate." Say each chunk, then blend the chunks together and see if the word sounds right.

Make syllable cards with small pieces of paper. Write one chunk on each card, like "po," "ta," and "to." Mix up the cards, then put them back in order and read the word you build. Try this with different long words that have long vowel sounds in one or more chunks.

Related lessons

• Decoding Two Syllable Long Vowels