Syllable Types – A Word List for Each of the 6

All 94 words

List 1: closed (jam) 16

blimp A blimp floated over the stadium.
brisk We took a brisk walk around the block.
clip Use a clip to hold the papers together.
grab Please grab a towel before you swim.
gulp Don't gulp your milk so fast.
jam Spread strawberry jam on the toast.
plus Three plus four makes seven.
prank The prank made the whole class laugh.
scrap Write it on a scrap of paper.
shrub A small shrub grew by the gate.
snack An apple makes a good snack.
stomp Be sure to stomp the snow off your boots.
trench Workers dug a trench for the pipe.
twig A bird carried a twig to its nest.
van The whole team rode in the van.
web The spider fixed a hole in its web.

List 2: open (go, na-vy) 12

crazy The wind made my hair look crazy.
duty Feeding the fish is my duty this week.
emu An emu is a large bird that cannot fly.
go Where did the ball go?
halo The moon had a pale halo around it.
hazy The hills looked hazy in the heat.
navy He wore a navy sweater.
polo Players ride horses in a game of polo.
soda We made a volcano with baking soda.
solo She sang a solo at the concert.
tidy Keep the reading corner tidy.
tuba The tuba is a large brass instrument.

Show all 94 words (66 more)

List 3: vowel-consonant-e (tame) 13

blaze Firefighters put out the blaze.
cane Grandpa walks with a wooden cane.
choke Chew slowly so you do not choke.
dome The building has a round white dome.
fluke Winning that game was a fluke.
glaze The baker brushed glaze on the buns.
June School lets out in June.
pike A pike is a fish that lives in lakes.
poke Use a fork to poke holes in the lid.
quake The ground began to quake and shake.
robe Wear your robe after your bath.
stroke Pet the cat with a gentle stroke.
tame The pony was tame enough to pet.

List 4: vowel team (braid) 15

boast It is rude to boast about winning.
braid She tied her hair in a braid.
cloak The wizard wore a long black cloak.
coax We tried to coax the cat down.
crew The ship's crew raised the sails.
faith I have faith in our team.
foal The foal stood up on wobbly legs.
frail The old tree looked frail after the storm.
fray The rope started to fray at the end.
jay A blue jay called from the oak.
quail A quail ran across the path.
roast We will roast corn on the grill.
sprain A sprain can make an ankle swell.
strain Lift with your legs so you do not strain.
sway The tall grass began to sway.

List 5: r-controlled (barn) 18

barn The cows sleep in the red barn.
burn Hot soup can burn your tongue.
clerk The clerk put the books in a bag.
corn We picked sweet corn from the field.
curl The cat likes to curl up by the fire.
dirt The puppy dug a hole in the dirt.
fern A fern grew in the shady corner.
horn The driver honked the horn twice.
hurt Did the fall hurt your knee?
march The band will march in the parade.
nurse The school nurse took my temperature.
park We had a picnic in the park.
perch The parrot sat on its perch.
shirt Tuck in your shirt for the photo.
sport Soccer is my favorite sport.
thorn A rose thorn pricked my finger.
turn Take a left turn at the corner.
yarn The kitten batted a ball of yarn.

List 6: consonant-le (ta-ble) 20

apple Would you like a red apple?
bottle Fill your water bottle before recess.
bubble The bubble floated up and popped.
bugle A bugle has no valves or keys.
cable Plug the cable into the laptop.
candle Blow out the candle on the cake.
giggle The joke made us all giggle.
handle Hold the cup by its handle.
jungle Monkeys swing through the jungle trees.
little The little kitten mewed for its mother.
maple Maple syrup comes from maple trees.
pebble I skipped a flat pebble across the pond.
pickle I want a pickle with my sandwich.
puzzle We finished the puzzle together.
simple The first math problem is simple.
stable The horse sleeps in a stable.
table Set the table for dinner.
tickle A feather will tickle your nose.
turtle The turtle pulled its head into its shell.
uncle My uncle is my dad's brother.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen, sorted into 6 lists, one for each of the six syllable types (closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, vowel team, r-controlled and consonant-le), and given sentences for this site. The sorting is ours. One-syllable words were used where a type has them; in a two-syllable word the list names the syllable that shows the type (na in na-vy, ble in ta-ble). No word here is on the site's silent e, vowel team, multisyllabic, spelling pattern, long i or long e lists. SOUNDS AND SPELLINGS: the headword line of all 94 words was read on 2026-09-24 at https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q= plus the word (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language): a short vowel in the closed list, the long vowel in the open, vowel-consonant-e and vowel team lists, är, ôr or ûr in the r-controlled list and a final əl in the consonant-le list. Left out on purpose: words that sound the same as another word in that dictionary (plum and plumb, rude and rued, gate and gait, maze and maize, herd and heard, fir and fur, graze and grays) and menu, whose first syllable the dictionary closes (men-u). Facts in sentences were read in the same dictionary's definitions on 2026-09-24: bugle (a brass instrument lacking keys or valves), emu (a large, flightless bird), pike (a freshwater fish), trench (a deep ditch). THE GRADE BAND stored with each word is our suggestion and no standard's. It was informed by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading: Foundational Skills 1.3d (every syllable must have a vowel sound) and 1.3e (decode two-syllable words by breaking them into syllables), which name no syllable types and list no words (https://corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ELA_Standards1.pdf, read 2026-09-24). SPELLINGS: every word is in the macOS word list. SENTENCES are ours and none repeats a sentence in another dataset of this site (checked 2026-09-24). Licence: own work

How it works

The 6 syllable types each get a word list here, 94 words in all. Pick a type to print its list or hear it as a test.

Read the full guide

How the six types of syllables sound

Closed: a consonant ends it and the vowel is short (jam). Open: the vowel ends it and says its name (go, na-vy). Vowel-consonant-e: a silent e makes the vowel long (tame). Vowel team: two letters make one vowel sound (braid). R-controlled: the r changes the vowel (barn). Consonant-le: the last syllable of ta-ble.

One type at a time on paper

Each list prints as a Word list with a sentence per word, or as a Test sheet whose last page is for the adult reading aloud. ABC order and Missing letters use the same words. Start test reads each word in a sentence and marks the answers at the end.

In a two-syllable word the list names one syllable: na in na-vy is open, ble in ta-ble is consonant-le.

Questions and answers

What are the 6 syllable types?

Closed, open, vowel-consonant-e (the silent e or magic e syllable), vowel team, r-controlled and consonant-le. Lists 1 to 6 follow that order, one type to a list.

What are the 7 syllable types?

Some programs give diphthongs, such as oi in coin and ow in cow, a type of their own, which makes seven. Words with oi, oy, ou and ow are on the vowel team word list.

Why is barn not a closed syllable?

A consonant does end it, but the r after the vowel changes the sound, so barn, shirt and corn are r-controlled. Compare jam in List 1, where the a stays short.

Syllable Types, With a Word List for All 6