R-Controlled Vowels

Graphic showing our r-controlled vowel resources.

R-Controlled Vowel resources for kids in grades K-5! Our comprehensive resource contains lists, charts, games, and worksheets of r-controlled vowel words. Each resource is completely free to download and fun to use in homeschool and classroom settings. Be sure to check out our Kindergarten READ Curriculum to help students understand and practice critical phonetic patterns and improve their overall reading and writing abilities.

What is an R-Controlled Vowel Word?

An r-controlled vowel word is the fifth syllable type of six syllables in the sequence of open, closed, vowel-constant-e (magic e), vowel team, r-controlled, and final stable syllables. When r is next to a vowel, the sound changes and they produce a unique sound that is neither quite the vowel’s long nor its short sound. This combination of a vowel followed by an ‘r’ creates a specific sound that is controlled or ‘bossy’ by the presence of the ‘r’. Teachers sometimes call it the ‘Bossy R’ sound!

For example, let’s take the word ‘car’; the ‘a’ does not have its usual short vowel sound (as in ‘cat’) nor its long sound (as in ‘cake’). Instead, it kind of sounds like a pirate talking ‘arrghh’! It has a unique sound due to the influence of the ‘r’ that follows it. Other examples include ‘bird,’ ‘turn,’ ‘fork,’ and ‘stir’. Each of these showcases how the ‘r’ changes the way the vowel before it sounds.

R-Controlled Syllables: Part of the Syllable Family

An r-controlled syllable is one of 6 types of syllables: open, closed, vowel teams (or diphthongs), consonant-le, and odd and schwa syllables. An r-controlled syllable can be the following 2 letters: er, ir, or, ar, or ur. Vowel pronunciation often changes before /r/.

The unique vowel sounds involving the ‘r’ sound can be short, long, or make a diphthong sound. Diphthongs are types of vowel teams that make a special sound. They are called ‘sliding sounds’ because they kind of slide into the next sound. Watch your mouth in the mirror and you’ll notice that your lips change position as it says the sound with ‘card’ compared to other open syllable ‘r’ sound like in ‘care’.

R-Controlled Word List

This long r-controlled vowel word list separates our ar, ir, er, or, ur sound words into a different sections based on spelling pattern. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

R-Controlled Word List Chart

This r-controlled vowel word list shows visual examples of the different spelling patterns. Perfect for your students to use as a visual reference in their learning notebooks or classrooms space.

R-Controlled Words Poster

This r-controlled vowel words poster shows the various spelling patterns used in r-controlled vowel sounds. This makes a great classroom chart or student reference guide.

R-Controlled AR Word Poster

This AR word list separates our shows examples of r-controlled words containing the letter a. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

R-Controlled ER Word List

This ER word list separates our shows examples of r-controlled words containing the letter e. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

R-Controlled IR Word List

This IR word list separates our shows examples of r-controlled words containing the letter i. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

R-Controlled OR Word List

This OR word list separates our shows examples of r-controlled words containing the letter o. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

R-Controlled UR Word List

This UR word list separates our shows examples of r-controlled words containing the letter u. Perfect for your more advanced learners or upper elementary grades.

Examples of R-Controlled Vowel Words

As a teacher, it’s essential to have kid-friendly examples of r-controlled vowel words that your students will remember easily. Consider words like “spider” or “bird”. Additionally, words like “jar” and “corn” showcase the r-controlled vowel sound. Utilizing these examples in teaching can aid students in recognizing and incorporating r-controlled words in their vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Spelling Patterns for R-Controlled Vowel Words

Below is a list of r-controlled vowel words based on spelling patterns. These words have been sectioned off into ar, er, ir, or, and ur lists. The lists also contain words that may have one (or both) of the following two types of letter teams.

AR Words

This list of ar words is an easy to use list of words that contain letter a next to the r.

card
chart
farm
harp
jar
park
star
yarn

ER Vowel Words

Below is a list of er words.

burger
germs
herb
river
spider
water
fern
gerbil

IR Vowel Words

Here are examples of the ir vowel sounds.

bird
circus
dirt
third
skirt
swirl
twirl
girl

OR Vowel Words

Some word examples of the or vowel sounds include:

coral
cork
corn
fork
stork
storm
torch
horn

UR Vowel Words

This list of ur vowel sound examples include:

burnt
fur
nurse
purple
Saturn
surf
turtle
turkey

R-Controlled Word Flashcard Set

These R-Controlled Vowel Flashcards are perfect for students learning how to read. They show a variety of r-controlled vowel spelling patterns and are sorted as such. Plus, we’ve included a bonus set of r-controlled picture flashcards! These make a perfect set to use with our learning game mat for matching games and other learning lessons!

Also, don’t miss out on downloading a set of our CVCe Flashcards or CVC Flashcards for even more exciting patterns in phonics reading when your students are ready for the next level!

R-Controlled Vowel Flashcards Set 1

Printable r-controlled vowel sound flashcards feature a variety of r-controlled vowel words. There’s something for every learning environment.

R-Controlled Vowel Flashcards Set 2

Printable r-controlled vowel sound flashcards feature a variety of r-controlled vowel words. There’s something for every learning environment.

R-Controlled Vowel Flashcards Set 3

Printable r-controlled vowel sound flashcards feature a variety of r-controlled vowel words. There’s something for every learning environment.

R-Controlled Vowel Flashcards Card 4

Printable r-controlled vowel sound flashcards feature a variety of r-controlled vowel words. There’s something for every learning environment.

Picture Flashcards Set 1

R-controlled vowel word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in game play, reading practice, and more!

Picture Flashcards Set 2

R-controlled vowel word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in game play, reading practice, and more!

Picture Flashcards Set 3

R-controlled vowel word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in game play, reading practice, and more!

Picture Flashcards Set 4

R-controlled vowel word flashcards with matching pictures are a great visual resource. These printable flashcards can be used in game play, reading practice, and more!

R-Controlled Vowel BINGO Cards

Below are an engaging set of half dozen BINGO cards for fun game playing and learning reinforcement of r-controlled vowel words.