Syllable Types

What Syllable Types practices

Syllable Types teaches the patterns that tell a reader how a vowel will sound. Your child reads a two-part word and names its type: closed, as in napkin, rabbit, kitten and robin; open, as in tiger, tulip, pilot and zebra; or consonant-le, as in candle, kettle, bottle and riddle.

Knowing the type answers the question older readers stumble on: is this vowel short, as in rab-bit, or long, as in ti-ger? Each button carries a picture cue, a lock for closed, an open lock for open and a drop for -le.

Who it suits

Readers who are secure with short words and are moving on to longer ones, usually around ages seven to nine, and older children catching up. It comes late in the ReadPals journey, in the Word Master level.

How a round goes

Your child reads the word and taps one of two or three type buttons. A wrong choice brings “Try again” and a little wiggle. A right choice shows the type with a tick and the word is spoken, so your child hears whether their reading was right.

The word is not read aloud before the answer, so the reading stays with your child. Five words make a ring in a few minutes.

A tip for home

Look for closed and open syllables in names: Max and Ben are closed, Jo and Lu are open. Ask, “Does a consonant close the door on that vowel?” A child who can say why the vowel is short or long is reading like an expert.

Try next

• Split the Word — finds where a longer word breaks before naming its type.
• Clap the Parts — hears the same parts by clapping, with no print.
• Add the Ending — adds endings like -ing and -ed to words.
• Part Meanings — looks at what prefixes and suffixes mean in longer words.

Read more

Can my child still catch up on reading?: how older readers catch up, and why longer words are where many of them get stuck.