Same Reading › Advanced phonics and spelling › R-controlled vowels
What are r-controlled vowels?
When a vowel is followed by r, the r changes the vowel's sound: car, fork, her, bird, turn. Classes often call it “bossy r.” Kids learn ar, or, and three spellings of the same sound: er, ir and ur.
- ar as in car, and or as in fork.
- er, ir, ur all make the same sound.
- The vowel isn't short or long. The r takes over.
Why schools teach it
Neither short nor long
Kids who know short and long vowels hit words like car and bird and try /c/ /a/ /r/. R-controlled vowels are taught as their own sound units, usually in first and second grade, as part of decoding regularly spelled words (RF.1.3, RF.2.3).
The tricky part is spelling: er, ir and ur sound the same, so kids learn common words for each and check which spelling looks right.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
Do you see a vowel and an r together? Say them as one sound.
Underline the bossy r team.
Which spelling: er, ir or ur?
Write it each way. Which looks right?Can you find another word with ar?
Skip this
- Sounding the vowel and the r separately./b/ /i/ /r/ /d/ doesn't sound like bird.
- Expecting one spelling for that sound.Her, bird and turn are all correct. That's English.
That a is long.
In car it's neither short nor long. It's the ar sound.
See it in action
Reading “shirt”
Spot the teams: sh and ir
shirtSay each part
/sh/ /er/ /t/Blend
shirt
Words often have more than one team. Underlining them first keeps reading accurate.
Free practice sheet
Make an r-controlled vowels sheet
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Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
Why do teachers call it bossy r?
It's a way to remember that the r changes the vowel's sound.
How does my child know er, ir or ur?
Mostly by practice with common words. Older kids can check a dictionary.
Is or always the same sound?
Mostly, as in fork. After w it changes, as in word and work.
What about air and ear?
Those are related teams, as in hair and hear, taught a bit later.