How to Teach Schwas
Maybe you haven’t heard of schwas before, or maybe you’ve heard of them but are wondering how to teach schwas to your children. If so—read on! By the end of this post, I hope to have helped you make sense of the schwa.
What Is a Schwa?
The schwa is a muffled vowel sound that is heard in countless English words. Say the following words aloud and listen for the sound of the underlined vowel.
See how the underlined vowel doesn’t say one of its normal sounds? Instead, depending upon the word, it says a muffled /ŭ/ or /ĭ/ sound. Also, do you notice how the schwa appears in an unaccented syllable? That schwa is what makes these words trickier to read and spell.
In All About Reading and All About Spelling, we don’t use the term “schwa” with the student. Instead, we teach several strategies to help children deal with words that have muffled vowel sounds in the unaccented syllable. Here are some of my favorite strategies for teaching schwas.
6 Strategies for Teaching Schwas
Teach your child to “pronounce for spelling.”
When learning to spell words that contain schwas, it really helps to “pronounce for spelling.” This is a simple technique in which we “over-pronounce” all the syllables, allowing us to clearly hear the vowel sounds. Take the word cabin, for example. Since the second syllable is unstressed, the letter I takes on the schwa sound, making it unclear which vowel to use for spelling. When we over-pronounce the word as “cab-IN,” it becomes clear that the letter I is used.
Here is how this works in practice:
1. “Spell the word support. I’ll pronounce it for spelling: SUP-port.”
2. The student repeats the word, pronouncing for spelling.
3. The student spells the word, and then reads the word normally: “support.”Use All About Spelling Word Banks to build visual memory.
Have your student read through the Word Banks to become familiar with seeing the correct spelling. Then, when your student hears a muffled vowel sound and isn’t sure how it should be spelled, she can try “scratch paper spelling” to help determine the correct spelling.
Encourage your child to think of related words.
If a child can’t remember how to spell the word definition (def-uh-ni-tion), he can think of the root word (define) and use it as a clue for choosing the vowel that is making the /uh/ sound in the word.When reading, be prepared to “say it like a word.”
If you read the word button with a short o sound in the second syllable, as in /bŭt-tŏn/, you’ll sound like a robot and listeners may have a hard time understanding you. Since there is a schwa in the second syllable, we have to be prepared to make slight adjustments in order to “say it like a word.”
Here’s how to lead your student through the “say it like a word” activity:
1. Choose a word that is in your child’s oral vocabulary, such as the word problem.
2. Say the word as if you were a robot, without using the schwa sound: /prŏb—lĕm/.
3. Have your child “say it like a word” by repeating the word in normal speech.Once your child is proficient at repeating the words using the schwa sound, you can remind him to use this activity as he reads to help decode unfamiliar words. Soon you’ll be able to remind your student to “say it like a word” and he’ll correct himself.
- Teach words of similar construction at the same time so your child can see the pattern.
For example, the letter A commonly takes on the schwa sound at the beginning of words like about, around, again, and so on. These words are taught together so that children will easily master this pattern. - Remember to review.
Students may need quite a bit of review with words containing the schwa, especially when it comes to spelling. Be sure not to skimp on review time, and have patience with the process. With practice and these strategies, your child can make sense of the schwa!
Has the schwa sound caused problems for your child? Which of these techniques do you think will be most helpful?
zedias chitiga
says:Great
Eugenia C.
says:Thank you! Very helpful.
Adh
says:Schawa doesnt hve any identity
It jst a game of remembering
Where we sound of vowel or where we nt 🤦♀️ we hve to remember these things in our mind only
Donna S
says:I love how AAS teaches this concept!
How do you label a syllable with the schwa sound? Is it considered a short vowel?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThat’s a good question, Donna.
A schwa sound can be found in any type of syllable. For example, the A in above is the schwa sound in an open syllable and the E in problem is a schwa sound in a closed syllable. You would label a schwa syllable based on what kind of syllable it is, regardless of the schwa sound.
Labeling syllables is often a helpful spelling strategy, but it isn’t always helpful. In the case of schwas, pronouncing for spelling may be more helpful.
Does this clear it up for you? Let me know if you have more questions.
Donna S
says:That’s very helpful, thank you!
Peter
says:Thanks, glad I found this post. In a lot of cases, it seems that the schwa sound is used out of a kind of accent/dialect “laziness” (saying “mem-uh-ree” instead of “mem-or-eee”—-please, not “mem-ree”). So, I can understand not emphasizing this fact until later. But for other words, it is the intended sound, especially for short u words (“up”, “tumble”) and some schwa-ed a words (“about”, “soda”). The AAS program Level 1 addresses the short u sound. But for the latter (the schwa-ed a) why are students not instructed from the start that this is an actual sound of the phonogram a (i.e., the a phonogram should have 4 sounds: /short-a/, /long-a/, /ah/, /uh/)? How should we respond to students (Level 1, at least) who make this correspondence?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServicePeter,
Good question. All About Spelling does address the schwa sound of A at the beginning and end of words. But the /uh/ sound really isn’t a normal sound of A. About starts with an open syllable, so the A should be long, ay-bout. But since the A is unaccented, it is pronounced uh-bout. Words that end in A, such as soda, come to us from Latin or languages of Latin origin. In Italian (the most likely source of the word soda for us), the final A would be closer to an English short A than anything else. But again, it is unaccented so we give it an /uh/ sound.
When you have a student that notices that A says /uh/ in such words, discuss schwas with them. Discuss that any vowel can say an /uh/ sound and we see it most commonly with A when A is the first or last letter in a word. Let the student know that All About Spelling will teach them about spelling words like about and soda in a future level. However, students need to be very comfortable with multiple syllable words first.
I hope this helps some, but please let me know if you have further questions.
PCDS teacher
says:A great explanation that is clear and concise!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you!
Dana
says:I can’t believe I’ve never heard of schwas, but I’m definitely going to ask my kids if they’ve ever heard of them in the morning! Thanks for the tips.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDana,
The term “schwa” isn’t often taught to students; All About Reading and All About Spelling doesn’t teach it, although they provide a note to the teacher about it. The concept, however, is taught. Ask your kids if they are aware that many words have one of the vowels making a /uh/ sound, that when we speak normally we muffle one of the syllables.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Carmen Heethuis
says:Just curious why you don’t address the short /i/ sound that the schwa can make as well?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThat is a good question, Carmen, and one I’m going to bring up to Marie. I’m not sure exactly, but I know it has to do with how short and muffled the sound is. I also suspect that regional accents play a role in if it is more /ih/ or /uh/ in specific words.
Sorry I’m not much help, but again I am asking about addressing this issue in the future.
David alewine
says:Great info!
Lorraine Gilliam
says:Schwas are difficult, hopefully these tips will make them less difficult.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad these will help, Lorraine. Schwas can be difficult and take a lot of practice to master.
Thora
says:Never gave this much thought before so thanks for the lessons to pass of to my students!
Sandy M
says:This is such a good concept to teach on top of the solid base established by AAR AND AAS! I feel like we are definitely in this stage of spelling!!
Candace
says:Thanks for this! Your explanations are so helpful. This week (while on break!) I overheard my 8 year old teaching my 6 year old a strategy we’ve learned from AAR to help her read a word on a sign! It’s so rewarding to hear someone you’ve taught, teaching someone else!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceOh how precious! Moments for us moms to cherish, right? ❤️
Sasha
says:I didn’t realize how difficult this sound was until I started teaching ESL and had to explain the pronunciation versus spelling differences in English.
Leslie
says:So helpful! I never realized how much there is to reading and spelling until I began to teach my children.
Sharee Isaksen
says:This curriculum is the only one that my daughter responded well too. It has been life changing!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceThat’s wonderful, Sharee!
Sharon
says:This will really help me teach about the dreaded schwa. Thanks.
Mary
says:Thank you for all the creative ideas!!!!
Mary
says:This is awesome. I’ve been pronouncing words wrongly to my kids unknowingly. Now I know better. Thank you so much.
Merry
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad that helped, Mary!
Celia
says:This is great for English speakers foreigner can’t hear that -half- sound. Only if they had the sound in their own language can hear it. Still it is a great explanation. The human ear “”matures “ around age from 14-17 years old… after that it is very difficult to learned . I wish there was a way to learn them.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceCelia,
I know what you mean and have experienced myself trying to learn a second language. There are some sounds that I am apparently not saying correctly but am at a loss for how it is different. Practice, patience, and help from native speakers can lead to improvement, however. I know my sister-in-law, who learned English as an adult, has a better accent now than she did even twenty years ago.
Candous Langston
says:This is great! Honestly, I didn’t even realize that I have been over-pronouncing words to my kids because the schwa was so difficult for me to comprehend as a child. I really love tip three about think of the root word!
Sonja
says:Thank you! This was very helpful. These words are some of the ones my daughter still really struggles with. These tips will be helpful!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSonja,
I’m happy this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions or ever need more help.
Runningdog
says:Thanks for sharing this, I learned something totally new to me! Especially appreciate the strategies you share for spelling schwa containing words. Definitely s bugaboo for us. :)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m happy this was helpful for you! However, if your student still has trouble, let me know so I can help.
Katie Cundiff
says:Thanks for the helpful tips! I’ve hated the schwa and didn’t even know it. It’s definitely caused lots of problems for my daughter but I feel much more equipped to tackle it now.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceIt’s great that this was helpful for you, Katie. However, if your daughter continues to have problems with it, let us know.
Kate
says:Thanks so much! I never understood the schwa sound until I was trying to teach my son!
Heather
says:Can’t wait to try this with my newest reader!
Michael B.
says:So helpful! Thanks!
Nicole
says:Awesome! Thanks.
Nicky
says:Great thank you
Pat Perkins
says:Great than you!
Carina Marley
says:This was so helpful thank you
Jenny
says:Thanks for being awesome!
Mindy
says:So helpful! Thanks!
P. Parker
says:I can see that you have some interesting ways of handling the schwa sound but ,personally, I think it is also helpful to teach the child the word “schwa” and the upside down “e” symbol for a schwa so that they will know what it is when they encounter it in a dictionary.
Dolores Miranda
says:This article is amazing!Definitely helpful for teaching my daughter!
Mary
says:Thank you! Great resources!
Patty Bowman
says:My dyslexic daughter finally learned to read with All About Reading. She struggles with spelling, so we’re working our way through All About Spelling. We love that the lessons are short and manageable.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceIt’s great to hear that All About Reading was a success for your daughter, Patty. Spelling can take longer for students to master, but you’ll get there too! Let me know if you ever need any help or have questions.
Deborah Bown
says:Great resources!
Cindy Eddy-Rodriguez
says:Thanks so much for such a clear message. This is great
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Cindy.
Gretchen Boldin
says:I will definitely be using these tips for my son! I think saying the words in a robot voice is great!
Cheryl Dannheim
says:This looks like it will actually work! I’m so excited.
Oceana Moon
says:Thank you for such a useful post!
Nik
says:Great to see a focus article on this. Thank you 😊.
Tasha
says:These are great tips
Danielle S
says:We are just beginning the spelling program and appreciate how well thought out the lessons are
Joan Pierce
says:Very cool program!
Mary
says:This is wonderful! So very informative
Lin
says:I teach 2nd grade, and still trying to find a something to support students who are still struggling with spelling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLin,
Do you have any questions regarding All About Spelling? If you haven’t seen it already, you will likely find our 12 Reasons Teachers Love All About Reading and All About Spelling blog post informative. Let me know if you would like more information about using AAS in a classroom setting.
Elizabeth Neal
says:These are fantastic tips! Thank you!
Georgina Montoya Leyva
says:I love all the techniques you have, thanks for be a guide to us
Raquel
says:Never heard of this. Interesting.
Sara
says:Thanks for the tips!
Ginger Gonzalez
says:Very helpful.
Tita
says:Awesome material. Thanks for all the encouragement too.
Apple
says:Thank you. These are very helpful.
Amanda
says:These are helpful tips!
Stephanie
says:My kiddo does have problems with the schwa sound, and I hadn’t realized it was a distinctive sound until now.
Cornelia Johnson
says:I saw AAS when my Friend received hers. Absolutely wonderful. I will be ordering for next year
Diane
says:I love all about spelling!
Maggie
says:I have just been reading about the schwa sound elsewhere, so this is very timely and helpful! And your answers, Robin, to the questions in the comments are so thorough and helpful, too! I have a couple questions, why are words spelled with the letter “u” considered to have the schwa sound? Why wouldn’t it just be considered the short u sound? (as in “support”)?
My second question is: Is it correct that the schwa sound can also say the short i sound? Like in beverage (sounds like bev-ridge) or leverage?
Thanks for all the tips! I will use them with my 7th grader!! I think I’m realizing the schwa sound may be one of the chief causes of her spelling mistakes. Just this week she spelled “among” umong. Now I know how to explain that. Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat questions, Maggie.
I’m not sure why words with short u are considered a schwa sound, but I wonder if it has to with being consistent with unaccented vowels saying /uh/ all considered to be schwa. As for the short i sound for schwa, I’m not sure about that either. The examples you give aren’t really schwa, but rather that when the word ending -age is unaccented it says /ij/. This is taught in All About Spelling level 5.
As for among, let your daughter know that /uh/ at the beginning or end of a word is spelled with the letter A more often than it is spelled with any other letter.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you need more information or have more questions.
Jacqueline
says:These are great hints. I especially like the “pronounce for spelling” and read it like a robot!
Mary Frances Stanford
says:Very interesting and helpful!
Isabel Beals
says:Thanks for the article
Carrie King
says:Such helpful tips!
Melissa Warr
says:This is really helpful. Thank you!
Terry
says:Great article. Thank you for sharing. When teaching the schwa sound, I explain to my students that it says /uh/ and /ih/. We drop our shoulders and say /uh/ and /ih/ like “Uh, do I really have to do this.” They love finding schwa in words we’re decoding. By the way, why didn’t you underscore the first “e” in develop and the 3rd “e” in experiment, as those both make the schwa sound? Just curious.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceTerry,
I love your physical action to go with the /uh/ of schwas. What a great way to make it more memorable!
I think the part of the blog post that lists develop and experiment was trying to draw attention to the most obvious schwa sound in each word. The first e in develop and the third e in experiment are both more subtle than the underlined sounds. However, you do bring up a great point that words with three or more syllables can have multiple schwa sounds in them!
Kristin Evans
says:Great Ideas!
Destiny Wright
says:Thank you for these helpful suggestions!
Kelly Atut
says:This is very helpful. Thanks for this information.
Darlene
says:This is an awesome treasure trove of reading resources.
Thank you!
Tina
says:On-gosh!! ..these are perfect to help w/ learning the pronunciation of “sw”. Thank you.🙂
Vicki
says:Thanks for the help
Kendra Mushrush
says:Thanks so much for these strategies. This is a difficult concept to teach… I appreciate your strategies!
Linda
says:I think all these techniques work together. The “pronounce for spelling” activity will most likely be the most helpful one for my student because she relies on auditory clues.
Deena Hargett
says:These are great suggestions for teaching the schwa sound. I have always just taught be rote memorization but i like to give my children ways to decode words just like you said
Kathi Wilson
says:As a former educator and current child advocate I refer parents and teachers to your website all the time. This is so useful to me professionally and personally. I have always been a terrific reader yet my spelling still is less than stellar. In grad school I would have to write using only words I could spell! Love this!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKathi,
Thank you for sharing our website! It’s wonderful to hear that you find our information to be so helpful for teachers and parents.
Colleen
says:Thank you. Awesome.
Colleen
says:Awesome information. Thank you
Linda
says:Those are great tips! Thanks for sharing them. I’m sure they will be helpful when working with my little guy.
Jocelyn Conradie
says:Love it!
Florence
says:Thanks much for the information
Caron Gibbert
says:Very helpful, thank you!
Jeanette
says:Thank you. This is very helpful.
Karen Stromberg
says:I do use most of these strategies but will use robot voice and human voice to add auditory stimulation to support memorising spelling. Also, the word lists save a lot time!
Krystal
says:A great tutorial. I appreciate how you’ve taken a difficult task and made it practically effortless Thank you!
Linda
says:I like the tip about related words. I think teaching the root words of words also give children a greater understanding of language.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLinda,
Yes, I completely agree. Thinking of the root words and related words has helped my students with reading, spelling, and with understanding vocabulary of subjects like biology and chemistry. We spend a lot of time discussing word roots and words that have the same roots.
Jeannette
says:Excellent!
Jenny
says:This is a very helpful explanation. I have always taught words such as Wednesday, parliament, government and different etc by stressing each syllable with its correct vowel sound. In fact, when I’m writing those words, I find myself mouthing each syllable quite unconsciously to ensure the correct spelling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJenny,
I sooo say wed-NES-day every time I need to write Wednesday! 😉
Manjiri Deepak
says:So useful!!! Amazing 😍
Julie
says:Thanks for the info!
Judy
says:When you use the term, “Say it like a word,” do you mean the way we usually say it in conversation?
I really appreciate your AAR and AAS curricula. I’m currently using AAR Pre-Reading through Level 4 and I use ASS Levels 1-4.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJudy,
Yes, how we say the word in normal speech.
sherry mccarty
says:This is very helpful…thank you!
Jill
says:Thank you!! I love your teaching tips:)
Jenny
says:I’ve never heard of a schwa, but now I see it. Thanks for the great ideas for teaching how to decipher which letter to choose.
MsKayJ
says:So appreciate these tips!
Mariah Nelson
says:Thank you for the information!!
Anne
says:This is something essential to teach explicitly, especially to ELLs. Otherwise, how can one make sense of this mysterious 3rd sound for vowels? Thank you for your very clear lesson sample.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat point, Anne! Explicit teaching is very important for many things, but for schwas it can stop so much confusion and frustration if students are directly taught what is happening.
Jennifer
says:Thank you for sharing/educating.
Annie
says:Not sure why you don’t teach the proper annunciation of the words? I asked my 8th grader to read the words on top and she does not use the “uh” sound.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAnnie,
Teaching the schwa sound is most important when it comes to spelling. Students often have no problem with reading words without the schwa sound, but every English accent uses them for some words in normal speech. Many students are able to make the adjustment between clear pronunciation and how they normally say words in conversation without needing to be taught that there is a difference. However, many other students find it difficult. By explicitly teaching that this happens in English (it happens in all English accents although it varies in where it shows up in different accents), we can help students anticipate it ahead of time and understand what is happening.
Crystal Thomas
says:Some really good ideas! Thanks for breaking it down!
Amy E
says:Great tips! Over-emphasising for spelling is especially useful.
TRACY K
says:Will definitely be referencing this when it’s time for my kiddos to learn this! Thanks! Great tips!
Amy Bragdon
says:Will definitely be referencing this post for my first-grader when she’s ready to “schwa”!
Bliss
says:Wow. Looking forward to learning too as I teach my kids
Fauert
says:I love the schwa sound
Cherry
says:Hi，thanks for your sharing. I have a question about schwa. For the students, when they see a new word, How to identify the vowels pronounce the /ə/ sound.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceExcellent question, Cherry. Students are taught to try putting the accent on different syllables of a word to hear which sounds correct. The vowel in the accented syllable is pronounced clearly while the vowels in unaccented syllables are pronounced muffled or with the schwa sound.
For example, take the word message. A student could try it with the accent on the first syllable MESS-əj and with the accent on the last syllable məss-AGE. The student would hear that the first sounds closer to a real word. If the student recognizes the word after the first way of sounding it out, there is no need for he or she to go onto the second way.
Does this clear it up? Please let me know if you have more questions.
kathy
says:Hi! I’m wondering if these words doctor, factor, director ummm is the letter T change to D sound?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKathy,
Great question.
As for OR, it often says /er/ at the end of words and always says /er/ when it comes after a W. All About Reading and All About Spelling teach OR as one of the spellings of /er/ (the entire list is ER, IR, UR, OR, EAR, and OUR). Thankfully, AAR and AAS introduce these spellings of ER over the course of many levels to minimize confusion and allow students to master each one thoroughly before the next is taught.
The letter T saying the /d/ sound happens frequently with the T is in an unaccented syllable. This has to do with /t/ and /d/ being the same sound except /d/ is voiced and /t/ is unvoiced. Voiced means that the vocal cords vibrate. Try it. Place your hand on your throat and say /t/. Then say /d/. Pay attention to the vibration or lack of vibration of your throat and also the placement of your tongue and teeth. All vowels are voiced sounds, so when T is in front of a vowel it runs the risk of getting a voiced /d/ sound, especially in unaccented syllables that get muffled in everyday speech.
Does this help you with these phonograms? Let me know if you have further questions.
Cabot Mama
says:This reply is extremely helpful! Thank you!! I often wish this type of information was included in AAS.
Regarding unaccented syllables….my 7th grader is in AAS Level 5 and can not distinguish accented syllables. So, teaching her about the relationship between schwa and unaccented syllables is frustrating to her.
Any tips on how to teach distinguishing accented syllables? I will over-pronounce, and she still can’t hear it. I will use it in a sentence, over-pronouncing one way and then repeat with accent on another syllable and ask if she can tell which is correct. Sometimes that helps, but not always.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated!!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceBeing able to hear accented and unaccented syllables can be very tricky! All of my children have had some difficulties with it, and now my 7th grader, my fourth child in AAS 5, is having lots of problems. I have made a “Which syllable is accented in…” blue key card for her so that I remember to review this concept every day. I pick words from the word cards and dictation, going over 3 to 5 each day. I use a dictionary website to varify the accent because if I’m honest, I’m not always sure either. She seems to get it some days and others she is right about 50% of the time, which is the same as guessing since I focusing on two-syllable words at this point.
My child has long struggled with hearing the details in words (it took her forever to master rhyming!), so I have been gathering as many tips and tricks to help her as I can find.
One is that I haven’t been able to find a single word where ex (as in exit, exact, and so on) is accented. The same for re (as in rely, refer, require). The same for the syllable /shun/, either tion or sion. They aren’t accented as far as I have seen. Note, I don’t claim that there aren’t any words in all of English that have these accented, just that I haven’t found any yet.
An interesting tip, one that has been especially useful for my daughter, is that English does this weird thing. With two-syllable words, we put the accent on the first syllable for nouns and on the second syllable for verbs. This isn’t 100% reliable, but it is quite regular. Of course, this only helps if your student can identify nouns and verbs easily. This is why we have two pronunciations for words like object and contract. If we object in a trial, the accent is on the second syllable because the word is functioning as a verb. But if we point to an object, the accent is on the first syllable because it is a noun. We contract an illness but sign a contract. This doesn’t apply to other parts of speech, however, so adjectives and adverbs and such have to be reasoned in other ways.
One way I’ve helped my daughter to hear the difference is to have her substitute the schwa sound, the /uh/ sound, for each of the vowel sounds in a word and see which is closer to the way we normally say the word. When trying this, the other vowel has to be said distinctly to show the difference. Do we say pruh-BLEM or do we say PRO-bluhm? It is also very important that your daughter to not slow down her pronunciation of the word as if she were segmenting it to spell it. My daughter wants to do that and it alters the accent. The word has to be said as it is said in normal speech for the accent to be heard.
My daughter swears that writing the word down helps her to figure out the accent. I don’t know if this helps her or not, but it may be worth a try.
We have also talked about how if the first syllable is accented the word goes down. It’s not a pitch difference, but a subtle volume and length difference, or something like that. It has helped her a bit to think of the word going downhill if the accent is on the first syllable, TEA-cher. If the accent is on second syllable, the word goes uphill, imPROVE. It is very subtle and difficult for her, but we are working on it. Even if she can get the accent right using one of the other methods, we still talk about this one as I think it will be helpful for her in words with three or more syllables too. Although with them there is a risk that the word will go both uphill and down as the accent could be in a middle syllable, such as va-CA-tion.
I hope this helps some, and I’d love to hear what parts if any your daughter finds most helpful. I completely understand how hard it is to master this concept. I will be passing this entire conversation on to the development team, as I think many might benefit from digging deeper into this.
Damien Swift
says:This is good for learning 😁👌🏼
is, Berlin
says:Great explanation. Re : schwa sounds. Tha ks,
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome. Let me know if you have questions beyond what this blog post covers.
Aracely
says:I love this
It is the best thing ever
Hop that people learn
Sue Leffert
says:Thank you all of these will help each child.
Merry
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Sue! Glad this can help!
Lucky pandey
says:How to identify schwa in a word? Did the pronunciation of schwa is included in a word or not.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou can identify the schwa sound in a word with a vowel says a muffled /uh/ sound, particularly when that vowel doesn’t normally say the /uh/ sound. Schwa is what we call that muffled vowel sound in an unaccented syllable. It is identified when you hear it.
Does this help? Please let me know if you have other questions.
Megan
says:Hum this must be a area way to say cabin. I have heard it said cab(uh)n but as a nyer we say cabin. Very well. So at least one word I can look forward to my kid getting easy. As often we have to do the alternative way. Or penance for spelling. Like drink and train. Then she says it make to sense that’s not even a word I know. Even when I say it both ways. There for I still after months have to tell h strt both for her to spell it right.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMegan,
Pronunciation does vary by region and most teachers have to make minor adaptations to fit their regional pronunciation. If you ever need help in making adaptations to All About Reading to make it fit how you and your child pronounce words, just ask! We love to help.
Megan
says:Thanks. Well do.
Amanda Milleville
says:Yes! I am working with a 7th grader and he gets mixed up with schwa words often. I keep a running list of the schwa words he spells incorrectly and we review them when dictating sentences.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSchwa sounds can definitely be tricky, Amanda. Keeping them in ongoing review is a great idea!
Elena Mueller
says:Hi,
This is great information. I have such a hard time with this because English is not my native language. A lot of those words I don’t pronounce with the schwa but then there are words like “parrot.” I can see the schwa sound in the o but what about the a? How would you explain that?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat question, Elena!
There are a number of words in English where AR or ARR produce a long A “air” sound. In addition, ER and ERR can also form the long A “air” sound in this way, such as very and error. We teach this in All About Reading level 4 and in All About Spelling level 6.
Does this help? Please let me know if you have more questions.
Elena Mueller
says:Sweet! Thank you! That helps
Jose Angel Avila
says:OOh What a wonderful information. Thanks to be here.
Ariel Feliu
says:Worderful aplication
nApz
says:HI! This really helps me a lot in understanding more about schwas!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSchwas are tricky, but I’m glad to hear this has helped you understand them better. However, if you have questions about them, just let me know.
Reigner Osim
says:This a great help and simple to use!!!!!!
Rose
says:This is extremely helpful!!!!!
Daniela
says:Hi! God evening. May I ask your permission to have a copy of this? Because this would be a great help in my report. Thank you so much! :)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDaniela,
I have emailed you regarding this.
adeyemi
says:Helpful
Michelle
says:I wonder if schwa’s are more of a regional thing. I’m from Canada, and most of those words I don’t say with that sound.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMichelle,
Regional dialects can be so interesting! I pronounce some of these differently too (western US accent). There can be differences in how the vowels in unstressed syllables are pronounced, but they do exist in all forms of English. Think about the sound for the unstressed A in words like about and pizza.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the schwa sound is used in Canadian English. It is represented phonetically by an upside-down, backward e. The example word given is alpha.
Debbie B.
says:Fabulous post! The AAS program has really made me see how we say words much differntly than the spelling pronunciation. Thank you for these great suggestions!
Debbie B.
says:*differently 😮
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDebbie,
I’m glad you found this post helpful. The schwa vowels can be tricky, but with a little information and work they can be mastered too. Let us know if you have any questions!
Nancy
says:What about the -ed in past tense words like lifted and wanted? Would the E be a schwa there, or an /i/ sound?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceNancy,
We teach that the suffix -ed is used to make most words past tense (and we teach that past tense means it happened in the past). This suffix has three possible sounds: /ed/-/d/-/t/. You could make the argument that it is a schwa sound, but teaching the suffix as a unit added to a base word is often all that is needed for students to successfully spell it.
Also, if you or your student are hearing a short i, /ĭ/ sound, it may be a regional accent. The merger of the short i and short e sounds is a common problem in a large area of North America. We have a blog post that explains the Pin/Pen Merger and offers ideas on how to help students conquer it.
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have further questions.
Noah Adams
says:Comment : Infact this is good status which can help student progretion in reading, i bet you keep on
Janelle
says:This Is really helpful – my question is about the schwa sound in words like ‘bottle’ and ‘little’ where the l takes on the schwa sound and the e takes on the l phoneme…I am struggling and possibly overthinking this…..any ideas. TIA
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says: Customer ServiceJanelle,
We teach this as the 5th job of Silent E (here is an article that details all of Silent E’s jobs). We teach that every syllable has to have a vowel, and even though the letter L says all that the syllable needs to say it still has to have a vowel to follow the rules. That vowel is a Silent E.
The consonant-L-E syllable (that we call the “Pickle Syllable” because it’s easier for kids to say and remember) is common enough that we teach it as it’s own syllable type, along with open syllables, closed syllables, R-controlled syllables, and others. We don’t teach this pattern as a schwa vowel, because it is much easier to understand in terms of one of the jobs of Silent E.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Noah Adams
says:Comment: bottle and little is a schwa because has two sound l and e , example like star and far
Lydia R.
says:My 7-y.o. sometimes speak words as they are written, not as they are spoken, which is strange considering English is one of his first languages. The schwa explains why “of” and “off” sound different!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says: Customer ServiceLydia,
My guess is that your 7 year old is at least a somewhat advanced reader. It’s not uncommon for young advanced readers to encounter words in print before they have really learned them in conversation. I remember a bright young reader saying sub-til (with the b fully pronounced) for the word subtle.
However, the schwa only applies to unaccented syllables, and one syllable words do not have unaccented syllables. The /u/ sound is one of the 4 sounds of o (as found in the words of, love, oven, and many others). The real difference between of and off is that in of f makes the /v/ sound. The /v/ sound isn’t a sound f is supposed to make, and because of that we teach of as a real breaker and throw it in jail.
Amanda Duke
says:I love these tips! Thanks.
Merry
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome!
Lauren
says:Good information!
Kathryn
says:Ahhhhh, thank you! This is exactly what my son has been struggling with and I didn’t have a name for it. This will help a lot!
Lana raber
says:Wow! I had never heard the term “shwa” befor. But after reading your explanation have deffinatly struggled with them. I love your tips and helps. They are always aplicable and encourageing. Especially since I have 4 kids that are natural readers and then 1 that needs help which i have never had to give befor. Thankyou for all the time and care you put into your craft.
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Lana,
Don’t you love when you learn something new that you didn’t expect? I sure do. :D
I’m glad we can be a help to you and your child. You are welcome. I hope you and your children are having a lovely summer.
Nikki
says:Ha – first time I’ve heard about the schwa since school. I’m booking marking this too for when we get to it. We’re currently doing AAR1 and AAR2 and love the program!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceThanks for bookmarking, Nikki! :)
Alissa L
says:This makes me interested in your reading program! Would love to try it out.
Diane B.
says:I’m bookmarking this for later. We just started AAR level 1 and it’s things like the schwa that I’m not looking forward to.
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceI know that concepts such as the schwa can seem confusing at first, but I hope that we can save you from dreading such things, Diane! The lesson plans tell you exactly what to do each step of the way, and there are tips for the teacher tucked in each lesson, too. The instruction is so gradual and incremental that it is never a burden for the teacher or student. Trust me, the lessons are easier than this overview-style blog post where everything is thrown out there at once! Enjoy AAR Level 1!
Paula
says:This is the first time I’ve heard the word “schwa” since I was in school! I wondered if teaching the concept of it had completely disappeared. We’re getting into this in our very next lesson in All About Spelling – glad to have these tips. Thanks!
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Paula,
Maybe subconsciously, many of us wish that the schwa would disappear!
I’m glad the tips help; enjoy!
Melissa
says:Thanks! I’m going to use this next year.
Carolynn M. Slocum
says:It is so helpful to have tips for teaching. I find it amazing to establish a common language for teaching spelling techniques. Schwa is one of those common language words that are great to have in your back pocket!
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Carolynn,
I’m glad the tips help, and I agree–we need ways to discuss the difficult concepts in English.
Beth Southeard
says:The “schwa” was a difficult concept for my son last year. Thanks for the tips on how to teach it. I look forward to trying All About Spelling this year.
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Beth,
The schwa is definitely a difficult concept that takes practice. Enjoy using AAS this year! Let us know if you have any questions along the way.
Kerri
says:I’m going to use this with my son who is having trouble. Thanks!
Mikan
says:Looking forward to using this curriculum when we being homeschooling
Jessica
says:Great tips! Thank you!
Carlen
says:It is so hard to teach this to second language learners
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Carlen,
Yes, the schwa sound definitely makes learning English more difficult! Let us know if we can help in any way.
Simah
says:Thanks for the great suggestions!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Simah!
Colleen
says:Thanks for this! It will definitely help me with my 6 yr old and some of his struggles!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad to hear that this info will help your son, Colleen! If you have any further questions though, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
Melissa Miller
says:thank you for the article! I am going to try this with my 8yr old who has trouble with spelling several of these words.
Jackie Vescio
says:Thank you, Marie, for your informative post about the “schwa” sounds in spelling words. The charts and article are informative and very applicable for my boys, 6 & 8 years.
Jackie
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jackie! I’m glad this post was helpful to you!
Christina
says:I never heard of a schwa before. We are on level 2, I will have to mark this to refer to then.
Lindsay Carter
says:I learned something new! I had no idea what a schwa was but the more I read the more it made sense. Thanks!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Lindsay! :)
Thais
says:Thank you for this article! It clarified the Schwa for me!
Roxanne G.
says:I read the “schwa” article. It is fascinating! No wonder we have so much trouble with these types of words. It makes so much sense now. Can’t wait to try both the reading & writing curriculums.
Merry at AALP
says:Yes, they really make learning English tricky! I hope you enjoy the curriculum!
Jeanne Williams
says:My oldest daughter used All About Reading with her kindergarten age daughter this past year. It was a successful reading curriculum for them. Not only did the 6 yr-old learn to read, her younger sister starting gleaning the information as well. In fact, she was doing so well that my daughter ordered another set of books for the younger girl. Now they are both reading and loving it. All About Reading is a thorough, explicit and sequential curriculum that is bound to provide a positive reading experience for the majority of emergent readers.
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceThanks for your comment, Jeanne. You and your granddaughters made my day!
Katherine P
says:Thank you so much for clarifying this for me from a teaching perspective. I love receiving emails from your group!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Katherine,
You are welcome! We love being of help and encouragement to you and others.
Sara
says:We love this program!
Rachelle
says:Thanks so much for this clarification. I have been working with my 7 year old and never realized this “rule”. I appreciate the tips for helping her work through this strange exception.
Krista
says:Love the word banks!
N. Guenther
says:We are really enjoying this program!
Stepheny Seabolt
says:The schwa sounds haven’t given us too much trouble yet, but anything can happen with the child I have starting kindergarten this fall!
Sue P.
says:Love reading the info you provide. I need something to help my young students (elementary) who have a severe struggle with dyslexia to help them feel successful, not only during direct instruction but as they work along side their peers.
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Sue,
Thank you for your work with struggling students. Let us know if we can help or answer any questions.
Karen C.
says:This post has several good teaching ideas in it. I remember when my teacher taught us to spell “Wednesday”. She had us break it down and over pronounce it saying, “Wed nes day” and putting a picture in our mind of a wedding.
Sarah C.
says:Love AAR and AAS! Best tips and teaching advice out there! :)
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceAw, thanks, Sarah! :)
Joyce
says:Thanks! Understanding and mastering this concept can certainly lift the fog for many beginning readers! Can’t wait to see how it benefits my family this year!
Stephanie
says:Thank you for this article! It was very informative and inspiring.
Kyle
says:I had no idea what a schwa sound was and now I feel like I could just about teach my little ones what it is and how to recognize it when they are learning to read.
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Kyle,
This is a high compliment, that a simple blog post could make you feel so confident about what is a very tricky issue for so many adults. The schwa is one of the most common reasons for misspelled multisyllable words. Thank you for your comment.
Debe
says:Thanks for sharing your these beneficial ideas. This is a great program.
Kristen
says:When my kids were in school, they started receiving homework on schwas and we had not idea what it was. There weren’t any instructions included and for parents who weren’t taught about schwas, it was difficult to help. This one blog post was more helpful to understanding schwa than anything the school previously provided. Thank you!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Kristen. I’m sorry that your previous experience with schwas was frustrating, but I’m glad that we could help!
Grace
says:Thanks for sharing these tips!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Grace. Hope they help!
Liz
says:I love how your program helps me to be so much more confident in our homeschooling!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceOh, good. I’m so thankful to hear that, Liz. We want our teachers to be just as confident as our students!
Clara
says:I love reading all the rules and finally seeing some of the why for schwas.
Cathy Tonks
says:Great blog post thank you!
Teri P.
says:We haven’t really gotten to this level yet. However, It really helps to have AAS to help with learning spelling rules as there is always an exception to the rule. I never knew how convoluted our English language is until I started to teach it!
Lindsey
says:Love all about spelling! !!!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceThanks, Lindsey! :)
Morgan
says:I love that you recognize and teach the word and concept of “schwa”! Too often it is overlooked at the term is not explained. I am looking forward to using AAS with my daughter this fall.
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Morgan,
We don’t actually teach the word “schwa” to students in the lower levels of All About Spelling, but we do talk about it in the teacher notes and give specific helps for how to deal with them when they come up. It’s such a tricky problem that many students and teachers need all the help they can get!
I hope you find AAS as amazing as I have! Thank you for commenting.
Narae
says:Learn something new every day… Thank you!
Kim
says:Thank you for an awesome curriculum. My son is a very active hands on learner and reading, phonics and letter recognition is very hard for him. With your approach he is getting it. Ziggy helps a help too!
Robin E. at All About Learning Press
says:Kim,
I’m so glad that our program is helping your son. You are welcome.
Keep up the great work (and Ziggy is wonderful, we know ;). Have a lovely week.
Angella
says:Very useful information. Thank you.
David
says:Wonderful curriculum!
Tobi
says:I just ordered the pre-all about reading for my son who has dyslexia! So excited…can’t wait to get it! It was highly recommended by so many! Thanks!!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceHi Tobi! If you have any questions after your Pre-reading program arrives, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us! We’re happy to help!
Jodee
says:This is so helpful. We are looking at getting our kids this program so it is nice to see a little of how some of these harder things (like schwa words) can be taught. Thanks.
Cheryl
says:Love this blog, thank you such!
Sue
says:I typically use Wilson Reading System or Megawords, but I have never seen or used All About Reading or Spelling. My friends have only great things to say about the program. Your post about the schwa is right on! Thank you for sharing how to work with schwa words.
ML Burley
says:Marie,
Thank you so much for your Schwa blog. It is very helpful in understanding this when I tutor. I do remember learning about the schwa during spelling lessons when I was a child but the details were fuzzy. The upside down ‘e’ stuck with me.
Crystal Spry
says:I was not taught with Schwas. I just recently learned them while teaching my children.
Rachel C
says:I’m always learning something new right along with my kiddos using All About Learning!
Brenda
says:Thanks for the great tip.
Eileen Cloutier
says:I’ve used the “say it for spelling approach” and like it. The part I didn’t do was the reading of the word banks and the practicing how to say it for reading. I do like these ideas much. I am trying (and am on my fourth year of trying) to adapt the program for classroom use. The word banks need to be added and so does the reading instruction element. Thanks!
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Eileen,
You’re welcome! If you have questions about how to adapt it for classroom use, feel free to email or call–we’d be glad to help.
Melanie Williams
says:I absolutely LOVE everything about this program!! My daughter is succeeding and I can’t wait to start AAR level one with my son this fall :D :D
frances
says:Thanks you for this post. It is helps me to review spelling concepts.
Marie Rippel
says:You’re welcome, Frances!
Chloe
says:Hi Marie,
This is very interesting. I have a question in regards to shwa’s and accents. As a New Zealander I’m not sure all of the above shwa words would still apply. Eg for me the word, ‘definition’, is still ‘def-in-it-tion’. How to teach a shwa word in this situation?
Regards Chloe
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Chloe,
If all of the sounds are clear, you don’t need to do anything special to teach the word (except perhaps teaching which spelling of the “shun” ending to use). You only need to adapt your strategies if one or more of the vowel sounds are not clear. Does this help?
Rebecca Smith
says:These strategies sound very good to use. I would love to have either product for my son who is struggling to learn to read.
Gretchen
says:Have you tackled helping students (especially those who can’t really hear accent) predict where the accent will fall? Nancy K. Lewkowicz has studied this and is predicting accent by the suffix. However, I’m having a hard time figuring out how to “add it in” (as opposed to doing her program separately later).
Merry at AALP
says:Hi Gretchen,
Sometimes it can be hard to hear the accent in a word, especially if the syllables seem similar. Here’s a method that can help: Try accenting each of the syllables until the word sounds correct. For example:
PRE-fer. pre-FER.
Which one do we say? pre-FER.
AD-mit. ad-MIT. (Sometimes at a hospital, I’ve heard nurses say they had a new “AD-mit,” using this word as a noun–but most of the time we use it as a verb–we “ad-MIT” the truth.)
This can be a fun game to play, actually! Putting the “em-PHAS-is” on the wrong “syl-LAB-le” can make words sound strange! You’ll also notice that when we emphasize a syllable, we usually give it a full or regular vowel sound (a short or long sound). Sometimes in unaccented syllables, we tend to muffle the vowel sound or use a schwa sound.
There are some words that have different meanings depending on the way we use the accent. Consider:
CONtent (the contents of a package)
conTENT (to feel content)
COMbine (a farm machine)
comBINE (to combine items)
ADdress (what is your address?)
adDRESS (address the audience)
DIgest (Reader’s Digest)
diGEST (digest your food)
INvalid (a sick person)
inVALid (something is not valid)
PRESent (all present and accounted for, or a gift)
preSENT (present an award)
Experiment with words until the student becomes more confident in deciding which syllable has the accent. Students can also use a dictionary to double-check which syllable is accented.
I hope this helps!
Gretchen
says:Thanks, these are useful suggestions.
Blesings,
Gretchen
lmerritt
says:Great post! Very informative.
CabotMama
says:Very helpful explanation and teaching techniques! My children (AAS5 and AAS3) struggle with the schwa sound. Initially, my son did not like for me to “pronounce for spelling” and my daughter was irritated when she sounded out reading words that didn’t sound “real.” Over the last year, they have found both pronouncing for spelling and reading like a word to be invaluable.
To add to my children’s dilemma with those lazy schwa syllables disappearing from our pronunciation, we also live in the southern US. The short vowel e is often pronounced with a short vowel i sound. For example, “get” is pronounced “git.” During AAS1, my son was furious that I kept pronouncing “g-e-t” despite his declarations that the word is “g-i-t!” Tears were involved. Finally, my husband and I coined the tongue-in-cheek acronym SAD for Southern Accent Disorder and apologized for passing it on to him. We explained he must learn the proper way to spell and ‘pronounce for spelling’ in order for people outside the South to understand him. Since then, his attitude has been better, almost proud of the disconnect between his pronunciation and the proper spelling. :)
Merry at AALP
says:I’m glad the techniques have been so helpful for your family. What a great solution to your son’s struggle, I love it! Very creative. I’ve often found that if I can find a way to inject a bit of humor into a difficult situation, it helps my kids overcome.
You may not need this now, but Marie did a video on short-E/I confusion (linguists refer to it as the pin-pen merger). Your son indeed is not alone! http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/short-e-short-i-confusion/
Jennifer Bruce
says:Another excellent post! Spelling words with schwa can be especially tricky with differences in pronunciation. (thinking about local accents, we live in Alabama)
jemea kim deeter
says:Great post. So informative!
Karla
says:Very interesting-had no idea! Thank you
Bonnie
says:Great explanation!
Alice Thompson
says:good job explaining this. I agree and i teach the schwa sound as well and they get it! I Have been doing some of the techniques that you mentioned naturally and its good to see that you agree.
Janet C
says:Never thought about it being in all the vowels. Very helpful to be aware of this. My son loves your spelling program. We are on to level 5 next year!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceCongratulations to your son for moving up to AAS Level 5!!
Cindy
says:How interesting. Some of the words on your list are 5hose I would never have considered to be schwa words. Enemy, experiment, duplicate, etc. I pronounce those as written. I’m going to have to go look them up in the dictionary.
Cindy
says:Ahem. Those. Not 5hose. My phone typing skills leave a bit to be desired.
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceHi Cindy! Depending upon your region and how carefully you enunciate your words, the words may not have the schwa sound for you. You obviously have very good diction, which will help your children as they learn to read and spell!
Sahba
says:This is very helpful thank you
James
says:Thanks, this is very useful.
Roseanne
says:This is fascinating. I never struggled with spelling as I have a photographic memory. In teaching my oldest to read, write and spell, I have learned many rules I had never before encountered. Thanks so much for your program!
Christine
says:Thank you! This is an excellent post. My daughter doesn’t like “spelling with tiles” so we normally just skip it and go straight to the spelling test. Normally she aces them, but she does have trouble with “schwa” words. I will try using your 3 step technique before we do the spelling test and see if that helps.
renee
says:All about Spelling has helped our family so much! We are excited to start the Reading!
Laurie
says:Thank you. You make it easy to understand the ‘how to’ for the parent and child.
Cheryl
says:I like the idea of teaching the same constructs together so they can see the pattern.
Amy
says:This was very helpful! Thank you!
Tracy
says:Thank you! Great information!
Sarah
says:Fascinating and insightful! Can’t wait to try this program with my soon-to-be readers!
Jacqueline
says:It looks like there is yet another area for me to cover–love how you simplify the concept, though.
Stefani
says:Just started schwas with my youngest. I contrast the over-pronunciation with our slurred/fast speech.
Mary
says:One of the many reasons I have decided to use All About Spelling and Reading – it takes the guess work out!
sally k.
says:I really liked this post. I think as a homeschool mom it is hard to teach things like this!
Marie Rippel
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad you enjoyed this post, Sally. The schwa can be a tough cookie to teach without having a few strategies to call upon!