Spelling the long vowel sound /ō/: o-e, oa, ow, oe

Rule Breakers - these words break spelling rules

Some words do not need ow to spell the long /ō/ sound on the end of the word; they just have o on its own.

Many of these words come from other languages, often because they are foods, animals or musical terms. Learn them in these groups:


animals	technical terms	food	musical terms	other words
rhino palomino buffalo armadillo bronco dingo dodo flamingo gecko hippo jumbo mosquito	stereo video audio disco dynamo micro mono radio turbo	tomato potato avocado cappucino espresso mango matzo oregano ouzo pimento risotto taco	allegro alto banjo bongo calypso cello concerto fandango flamenco oratorio piano piccolo mambo solo soprano tango	so cargo domino echo hallo halo hero judo logo memo photo veto casino curio inferno patio studio tobacco tornado torpedo volcano yo-yo zero

The -old and -oll words use just o use to spell the long /ō/ sound:

old	This cheese is too old to eat.
bold	Click B to change the text to bold.
cold	White wine is best drunk cold.
fold	Fold your clothes before you pack them.
gold	He has three gold teeth.
hold	Hold on tight on this ride.
sold	We sold our house in less than a week.
told	I told you to be quiet.
wold	High ground can be called a wold.
roll	Roll the ball to me.
troll	A troll is a mythical dwarf.
scroll	Scroll down the page to find more tips.
stroll	They went for a stroll by the river.
toll	You must pay a toll to cross this bridge.
poll	The poll was to elect a new President.

See how many -old words you can get in one sentence. For example:

She told me the old lady has sold all her gold.

Can you beat 4 words?
Then try the same thing with the -oll words.

Other rule-breakers for the long /ō/ sound:

own	Jim owns three old cars
sew	I need to sew a button on my shirt.
brooch	He gave his wife a gold brooch.
soul	1) person: There was not a soul to be seen. 2) spirit: Prayer is good for the soul.
mould	The old cheese was covered in mould.
boulder	A boulder is a large, round rock.
shoulder	You can cry on my shoulder.

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Homophones for long /ō/ words.

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Spelling the long vowel sound /ō/: o-e, oa, ow, oe

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