
Use ou at the beginning or in the middle of a word for the “ou” sound. Use ow at the end of a word for the “ou” sound. If a single l, n, el, or er follows the “ou” sound at the end of a word, use ow.
What is the difference between OU and ow?
When you hear the /ow/ sound at the beginning or in the middle of a syllable, it is usually spelled ou. When you hear the /ow/ sound at the end of a syllable, it is usually spelled ow. For ou, this holds true very consistently.
When should I use ow or O?
If a single l, n, el, or er follows the “ou” sound at the end of a word, use ow. See examples below in spelling practice. Reading practice: blouse, crouch, pounce, shroud, slouch, sprout, stout, trousers
When should you not use OU and ow in dictation?
Dictation — Make sure to avoid using ou and ow in dictation after you have taught the individual sounds until you have taught part 1 of the generalization. Avoid words that follow part 2 until that has been taught. When it is necessary to use them before this has been taught, scaffold which spelling choice the student should use.
How do you spell “ou”?
There is one firm rule to help you: Only two words use ou to spell this sound at the end of a word: All other words use ow to spell this sound at the end of a word. In the middle of a word, it can be ou or ow but ou is the most common. Before n and l, it is usually ow e.g. d own , h owl.

When the spelling pattern OU makes the sound ow Where is it usually found in a word?
Introduction to the Concept There are two spellings for the sound /ou/ as in out. The ou spelling usually occurs at the beginning or in the middle of words as in count and outcast and ow usually occurs at the end of the words as in how and now or at the end of words followed by the letters n and l as in down and growl.
Why does ow have 2 sounds?
When the OW is in the middle of the word (crowd) the sound is almost always the “ow” sound. However, when the OW is at the end of the word the sound is a long “o” most of the time (show) but sometimes it is the “ow” sound (how). A perfect example of the two sounds is the word “grow” changed to the word “growl”.
What are the 2 sounds of OU?
OU has two sounds. To help our students remember these sounds, we use the key phrase “Trout Soup” because it can say /ow/ like in trout and /oo/ like in soup. The visual of fish soup is one the students don't forget very easily!
What are diphthongs ou and ow?
same sound as heard in cow. This is not the long (o) sound heard in snow, although it is spelled exactly the same. This sound has two spelling patterns, (ow) (ou). These vowel combinations (ow, ou) are diphthongs when they have the variant vowel sound as heard in cow and house.
How do you teach phonics ow?
7:0123:24Lesson 22 - ow cow - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipLike this it's a digraph two letters one sound let's read the grapheme for ow say the sound ow eachMoreLike this it's a digraph two letters one sound let's read the grapheme for ow say the sound ow each time i show you the digraph ow.
How do you know which sound ow makes?
0:004:04Phonics: OW Sound/Words (Digraph) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd W or you might know them as op. And what so when you see these two letters together they makeMoreAnd W or you might know them as op. And what so when you see these two letters together they make the O. Sound. And when we say this sound you need to make your lips it's the shape of a circle.
What is the rule for the OU sound?
When you hear /ow/ at the start of, or inside a word or syllable, use ou (ounce, house, loud). BUT: If the word rhymes with down (frown, clown, town) or owl (howl, towel, growl) we usually use ow.
How do I teach my child sounds OU?
1:253:51Learn to Read | Digraph /ow, ou/ Sound *Phonics for Kids* - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd pout the letters O W in towel and oh you in pout make the owl sound how to make the sound nextMoreAnd pout the letters O W in towel and oh you in pout make the owl sound how to make the sound next stick out your lips. And make them round to make the owl.
What sound is OU in phonics?
/ow/ soundWhat is the 'ou' sound? The 'ou' sound in phonics makes an /ow/ sound (like in mouth). Be careful, this makes the same sound as the 'ow' digraph (like in cow or how). A great way to figure out if it is an 'ou' or 'ow' digraph in a word, is that 'ou' is in the middle of the word, and 'ow' comes at the end of a word!
Is ow a digraph or diphthong?
A diphthong is one unique vowel sound formed by the combination of two vowels. Such diphthongs are /au/, /aw/, /ou/, /ow/, /oi/ /oy/, /oo/. Together these vowel teams create their own unique sounds. Just a note: The /ow/ vowel team is both a digraph and diphthong.
Why is ow considered a vowel team?
It is sometimes referred to as a “glide” because the mouth glides from the position for one vowel to the position for another. There are 8 English diphthongs, including the vowel team pairs 'oi'/'oy' and 'ou'/'ow'. Most vowel sounds are made with the mouth in one position, making one pure sound e.g. /a/.
Is ow a long vowel sound?
Spelling the long vowel sound /ō/: o-e, oa, ow, oe.