Long vowel sounds worksheets for preschool and kindergarten kids - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to solve this problem.

We are looking for words that have a long vowel sound — specifically, the long “i” sound (like in “ice” or “my”). The worksheet gives us four patterns that can make the long “i” sound:

1. i – just the letter i by itself (rarely makes long i alone, but sometimes in open syllables)
2. i_e – silent e at the end makes the i say its name (like “bike”)
3. ie – two letters together making the long i sound (like “pie”)
4. igh – three letters together making the long i sound (like “light”)

Now let’s look at each row and pick the word that matches the pattern AND has the long “i” sound.

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Row 1: Pattern = “i”

Words: iron, pilot, lion

- “iron” → sounds like “eye-rn” — the “i” is long? Actually, it’s more like “eye”, so yes, long i.
Wait — let’s check pronunciation:
- “iron” = /ˈaɪ.ərn/ → starts with long i sound ✔
- “pilot” = /ˈpaɪ.lət/ → first syllable “pi” has long i ✔
- “lion” = /ˈlaɪ.ən/ → “li” has long i ✔

Hmm… all three seem to have long i? But we need to pick ONE per row. Let’s see which one best fits the pattern “i” as a single letter making long i.

Actually, in “pilot”, the “i” is in an open syllable (“pi-lot”), so it says its name → long i. That’s a classic example.

“Lion” also has “i” followed by “o”, but it’s still pronounced with long i.

But wait — maybe the worksheet expects us to match the spelling pattern exactly.

Looking again:

The pattern is written as “i” — meaning just the letter i, not part of a digraph or silent e.

In “pilot”, the “i” is alone in the first syllable → fits “i” pattern.

In “lion”, the “i” is followed by “o” — might be considered part of “io” which isn’t listed.

“Iron” — the “i” is followed by “r”, which changes the sound? Actually, no — “iron” still starts with long i.

This is tricky. Let’s check standard phonics rules.

Actually, in many curricula, “pilot” is taught as an example of long i with just “i” because it’s in an open syllable.

Let’s move on and come back if needed.

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Row 2: Pattern = “i_e”

Words: fire, hive, bike

- “fire” → spelled f-i-r-e → has “i_e”? Not really — there’s an “r” between i and e. So not pure “i_e”.
- “hive” → h-i-v-e → yes! i followed by consonant then silent e → perfect “i_e” pattern ✔
- “bike” → b-i-k-e → also perfect “i_e” pattern ✔

Both “hive” and “bike” fit. Which one to choose?

Look at the pictures:
- “hive” shows a beehive
- “bike” shows a bicycle

Either could work, but let’s see what’s most typical.

Actually, both are correct examples of “i_e”. But since we must pick one, perhaps “bike” is more commonly used in early phonics.

Wait — let’s check the other rows to see if there’s a pattern.

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Row 3: Pattern = “ie”

Words: pie, fries, tie

- “pie” → p-i-e → ends with “ie” → long i sound ✔
- “fries” → f-r-i-e-s → has “ie” in the middle? Actually, “fries” is pronounced with long i, and spelled with “ie” → yes ✔
- “tie” → t-i-e → ends with “ie” → long i ✔

All three have “ie” and long i sound. Again, we pick one.

“Pie” is the simplest and most direct example of “ie” = long i.

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Row 4: Pattern = “igh”

Words: light, fight, night

All three end with “ight” → which contains “igh” + “t”

- “light” → l-igh-t → “igh” makes long i ✔
- “fight” → f-igh-t → same ✔
- “night” → n-igh-t → same ✔

All are correct. “Light” is often the first example taught.

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Now, going back — perhaps the worksheet intends for us to pick the word where the long i sound is made *exactly* by the given pattern, and the picture helps confirm.

Let’s reevaluate Row 1: “i”

If we consider common teaching examples:

- “pilot” is frequently used to show long i in an open syllable (pi-lot)
- “lion” is sometimes grouped under “io” which is irregular
- “iron” is tricky because the “r” affects it slightly, though still long i

I think “pilot” is the safest choice for “i” pattern.

For Row 2: “i_e”

Between “hive” and “bike”, both are good. But “bike” is very clear — b-i-k-e, silent e makes i say its name.

Similarly, “hive” is h-i-v-e — also clear.

But let’s look at the pictures: the second row has a flame (fire), a beehive (hive), and a bike (bike).

“Fire” doesn’t fit “i_e” well because of the “r”.

So between hive and bike — either is fine. I’ll go with “bike” as it’s a very standard example.

Row 3: “ie”

“Pie” is the clearest — just p-i-e, and the picture is a pie.

“Fries” has an “s” at the end, and “tie” is also good, but “pie” is simplest.

Row 4: “igh”

“Light” is the most basic example.

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Final selections:

- Row 1 (i): pilot
- Row 2 (i_e): bike
- Row 3 (ie): pie
- Row 4 (igh): light

Let me double-check pronunciations:

- pilot → /ˈpaɪ.lət/ → long i in first syllable ✔
- bike → /baɪk/ → long i due to silent e ✔
- pie → /paɪ/ → long i from “ie” ✔
- light → /laɪt/ → long i from “igh” ✔

Perfect.

Final Answer:
pilot, bike, pie, light