Short Vowels Modern Poster
Acoustic Reference Grade Level: 6–8
The Short Vowels
Phonetic profiles of brief vocalic segments in closed English syllables.
Linguistic Concept
Short vowels in English are typically produced with a shorter duration, more centralized tongue positions, and relaxed articulatory muscles compared to long vowels.
A
Articulation
Front Open Unrounded. The tongue is positioned low and forward in the mouth, with lips in a relaxed, open position.
Exemplar Words
tact map clash
E
Articulation
Front Open-Mid Unrounded. The tongue is positioned mid-low and forward, with lips relaxed and slightly separated.
Exemplar Words
tread mesh sect
I /ɪ/
Articulation
Near-Front Near-Close. The tongue is positioned relatively high and forward but relaxed, with lips unrounded.
Exemplar Words
gig spill glitch
O /ɑ/
Articulation
Back Open Unrounded. The jaw is fully lowered, with the tongue flat and retracted toward the throat.
Exemplar Words
shock cop plot
U /ʌ/
Articulation
Open-Mid Back Unrounded. The tongue is mid-low, pulled slightly back, with the lips and jaw relaxed.
Exemplar Words
crust plum grunt
Brackets indicate International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) representation.
Modern Classroom Classics Series