All You Need to Know About R- Controlled Syllables (aka BOSSY R Syllables or R-Controlled Vowels) - Learning Reading Hub (2024)

FAQs

What is the R controlled syllable? ›

Video Transcript. An r-controlled syllable is a syllable in which the r “controls” the vowel sound. In closed syllables, or syllables where a consonant “closes” in the vowel, the vowel makes its short sound. However, if the vowel is followed by the letter r, the vowel does not make its expected sound.

All of the r-controlled vowels can make the /er/ sound, but the most common is er. One trick to help remember when to use /er/ is that it is most often used at the end of a comparative adjective (“hotter”), or for words which are also occupations or roles(“teacher”).

When a syllable has a vowel that is followed by r, the vowel is “controlled” by the r and makes a new sound. Examples include car, bird, germ, form, and hurt. This rule is sometimes called “bossy r” because the r “bosses” the vowel to make a new sound.

R Controlled words make up about 10% of single syllable words. In some phonics programs, the letter 'r' is called 'Bossy R' to help students understand the strong impact this consonant has on the preceding vowels. I prefer to use the mnemonic 'R in Charge'.

The R-Controlled Vowel Rule in Spelling

The rule of R-Controlled Vowels is as such: When a vowel is followed by an /r/ in a syllable, the vowel becomes “controlled” by the /r/ and makes a new sound. 👇 Save the below graphic to your phone to come back to later!

Expert-Verified Answer. R-controlled vowel sounds are often confusing for students because the way the vowel sounds are pronounced changes depending on the placement of the letter "r" within the word, making them less predictable and more difficult to master.

We'll go in-depth on each type of vowel sound, but here is the overall order for teaching the vowels at the K-2 levels: Short vowels. R-controlled vowels OR and AR (can introduce ER, IR, UR, but do not expect mastery yet) Long vowels spelled with silent e.

A vowel-consonant-E syllable (also known as VCE, Magic E, or Silent E) occurs when a vowel is followed by a consonant followed by an “e” (e.g., bike, hope, cute). The “e” is silent and the preceding vowel usually makes a long sound.

R-controlled vowels are often called “Bossy R” because the r takes over and makes the vowel make a new sound. There are three main r-controlled vowel sounds: the /ar/ sound, as in barn; the /or/ sound, as in corn; and the /er/ sound which is the trickiest because it can be spelled with er, ir, and ur.

What is the difference between an r controlled vowel and an r controlled syllable? ›

In an R-controlled syllable, the vowel is neither long nor short; it is controlled by the letter R and the /r/ sound. The vowel before the R does not make its regular long or short sound, so we say it is being bossed or controlled by the R. Some of these R-controlled vowels can make the same sound.

Since <er>, <ur>, and <ir> all sound the same, spelling these digraphs can be tricky. It helps to know that <er> is the most common spelling of the /er/ sound (40%), <ur> is the second most common (26%), and <ir> is the least common (13%).

In American English, /r/-controlled vowels (also called /r/-colored vowels) are vowels that are affected by the “r” sound, /r/. Whenever you see a vowel followed by the letter “r” in the same syllable, the 2 letters are pronounced together as one sound. For example, the word “bird” /bɝd/ is made of 3 sounds: b + ɝ + d.

There are three main r-controlled vowel sounds: the /ar/ sound, as in barn; the /or/ sound, as in corn; and the /er/ sound, as in fern, bird, and curl.

The six different vocalic combinations, [ar, air, ear, er, or, ire], are collectively called vocalic R, r-controlled vowels, or vowel R. If R comes before the vowel (prevocalic) it remains consistently consonantal (ribbon, race, ring, run, etc.).