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Unit 6, Part 2: Spelling the short vowel sounds

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Unit 6: Short vowels, Part 2: o and u

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Spelling the short vowel sound /ŏ/: o, wa or qua

/ŏ/ as in octopus. Spell octopus

Teaching point Most of the time the sound /ŏ/ is spelled with just the letter o.

BUT: The w has a be-witching effect on vowels, often changing their sounds.
After w or qu, the sound /ŏ/ is spelled with the letter a.		 Spell witch

Some examples:

Spell octopus
 Spell watch
Spell quads
o as in octopus. wa as in watch. qua as in quads.
of
off
odd
October
object
observe
offer
office
often
olive
opera
operate
orange
Oscar

bottom
cotton
dollar
golf
hospital
modern
solid
...and many more 		wad
wand
want
was
wash
wasp
watch
what
wander
wallet
warrant

swab
swamp
swan
swap (also swop)
swat
swallow		 qualify
quality
quandary
quantity
quarrel
quarry

squash
squat
squalid
squalor
squabble
squander
squadron
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Take a test in spelling the short /ŏ/ sound.

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The Spellzone interactive course is intended to be used online and may not be printed.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our students!  I'm sure Spellzone will be invaluable in helping them to improve their spellings and therefore improve the quality of their writing in all subject areas!"

Teacher, High School, UK