1. An Overview of R-Controlled Vowels

In this skill explainer, we'll talk about the phonics spelling patterns — and syllable types — known as r-controlled vowels. You may have also heard these patterns called bossy 'r' or vowel-r as well.

An r-controlled vowel is a vowel followed by the consonant 'r', like the 'ar' in card. There are five r-controlled vowels:

In these letter patterns, the vowel does not say its expected short sound. Instead the 'r' changes or controls the vowel's sound (which is why some people call it bossy 'r'!).

Teacher Tip

Words with r-controlled vowels can be tricky because they look like closed syllables — but they're not! Remember that in a closed syllable, the vowel is followed by a consonant and says its short sound.

Below you will find the keywords we use to teach all five r-controlled vowels. We suggest that you teach 'ar' and 'or' first, because they are easier to hear and spell and are more consistent in pronunciation. Then move on to 'er', 'ir', and 'ur', all of which make the same sound.

Here’s a Quick Look at How to Pronounce the r-Controlled Vowels

/ar/ as in arm

/or/ as in fork

/er/ as in fern, bird and surf

More About the /er/ Pattern

Since 'er', 'ir', and 'ur' all have the same sound, students need lots of practice with words with these sounds in order to support orthographic mapping. Repeated practice with these patterns, both in isolation and in connected text, helps students begin to map which spelling to use in different types of words.

Using Hand Motions in Teaching r-Controlled Vowels

In the below video, Morgan Walton, a reading specialist at Stillmeadow Elementary School in Stamford, Connecticut, demonstrates hand motions that can help students remember the sounds for the r-controlled vowels. For instance, she points to her arm for the 'ar' pattern.

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Morgan Walton: These are the motions we use to help students remember r-controlled vowel sounds ... /ar/, arm; /er/, bird; /or/, horn.

R-Controlled Vowels in Multisyllable Words

We explicitly teach students six syllable types — closed, open, magic 'e', vowel teams, r-controlled, and consonant '-le'. Learning these types can help students divide multisyllable words into easy-to-decode parts.

Six Syllable Types

Use this Teacher Guide as a handy reference for all six syllable types.

In multisyllable words, r-controlled syllables can appear in different positions — at the beginning (like in perfect), at the end (hunger), or in both syllables (order).

When you introduce r-controlled vowel sounds, you should take time to review closed syllables. At this point, students know that when you have one vowel and it's closed in by at least one consonant, the vowel sound will be short. Once they understand this concept, you can introduce the idea that when the consonant following the vowel is an 'r', the syllable is no longer closed and the vowel is not short.

Give students time to practice identifying the vowel and “looking next door” to check if there is an 'r' immediately after it. Looking for the 'r' first is a quick way to recognize an r-controlled syllable.

Once students can identify an r-controlled syllable, you can explain how to mark and label the syllable to help them decode multisyllable words. We mark the syllable by drawing a line under the vowel. If the consonant following the vowel is an 'r', label it with a circled 'R' to show that the syllable type is r-controlled.

Teacher Tip

Marking and labeling words is a scaffold, not the skill. It should be used in the initial stages of introducing a new syllable type. For some students, this will be short-lived. Once they are able to decode the multisyllable word without it, you can fade it out. Others may rely on the process longer. Keep in mind that for some students, marking and labeling may create too much cognitive load, so be ready to adjust the process to support their needs