Closed and Open Syllables Worksheets - 15 Worksheets Library - Free Printable

Let’s solve this step by step.

We are sorting words into two columns: Closed Syllables and Open Syllables.

First, let’s remember what these mean:

- A closed syllable ends with a consonant. The vowel in it usually makes its short sound.
- Example: “cat” → the ‘a’ is closed by ‘t’, so it says /ă/ (short a).

- An open syllable ends with a vowel. The vowel usually says its name (long sound).
- Example: “go” → the ‘o’ is at the end, so it says /ō/ (long o).

Now, look at each word from the list:

1. over → breaks as o-ver → first syllable “o” ends with a vowel → OPEN
2. apron → ap-ron → “ap” ends with ‘p’ → CLOSED; “ron” ends with ‘n’ → CLOSED → but we care about the *first* syllable for sorting? Wait — actually, the worksheet doesn’t specify which syllable to use. But looking at common practice for this level, they usually sort based on whether the *word has an open or closed syllable pattern*, often focusing on the first syllable.

But wait — let’s check how these words are typically taught.

Actually, in many worksheets like this, they want you to sort the *entire word* based on whether its first syllable is open or closed.

Let’s break each word into syllables and check the first one:

- over → o-ver → “o” = vowel alone → OPEN
- apron → ap-ron → “ap” = vowel + consonant → CLOSED
- tennis → ten-nis → “ten” = vowel + consonant → CLOSED
- bandit → ban-dit → “ban” = vowel + consonant → CLOSED
- velvet → vel-vet → “vel” = vowel + consonant → CLOSED
- bobbin → bob-bin → “bob” = vowel + consonant → CLOSED
- basic → ba-sic → “ba” = vowel + consonant? Wait — “ba” ends with ‘a’? No — “ba” is b-a → that’s vowel after consonant, but does it end with vowel? Actually, “ba” ends with ‘a’ → so it’s OPEN? Let’s think again.

Wait — maybe I’m overcomplicating.

Standard rule for sorting:

Look at the first syllable of the word.

If the first syllable ends with a vowel → OPEN
If the first syllable ends with a consonant → CLOSED

Let’s do it carefully:

1. over → o-ver → first syllable: “o” → ends with vowel → OPEN
2. apron → ap-ron → first syllable: “ap” → ends with ‘p’ → CLOSED
3. tennis → ten-nis → first syllable: “ten” → ends with ‘n’ → CLOSED
4. bandit → ban-dit → first syllable: “ban” → ends with ‘n’ → CLOSED
5. velvet → vel-vet → first syllable: “vel” → ends with ‘l’ → CLOSED
6. bobbin → bob-bin → first syllable: “bob” → ends with ‘b’ → CLOSED
7. basic → ba-sic → first syllable: “ba” → ends with ‘a’ → OPEN
8. began → be-gan → first syllable: “be” → ends with ‘e’ → OPEN

So now we can sort:

✔ Open Syllables (first syllable ends with vowel):
- over
- basic
- began

✔ Closed Syllables (first syllable ends with consonant):
- apron
- tennis
- bandit
- velvet
- bobbin

That’s 3 open, 5 closed.

The worksheet also says: “Then add additional words that you know to each column.”

So we should add a few more examples to each side.

For Open Syllables, think of words where the first syllable ends with a vowel:
- he (he-go) → “he” is open
- no (no-tice) → “no” is open
- me (me-tal) → “me” is open
- go (go-ing) → “go” is open

For Closed Syllables, think of words where the first syllable ends with a consonant:
- cat (just one syllable, closed)
- dog
- run
- sit
- hop

But since the worksheet shows lines under two book icons (one for each column), we’ll write the given words in the correct columns, then add 2–3 extra words per column.

Final sorted answer:

Closed Syllables Column:
apron
tennis
bandit
velvet
bobbin
+ add: cat, dog, run

Open Syllables Column:
over
basic
began
+ add: he, no, go

(Note: Some teachers might accept different additions — any valid example works.)

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Final Answer:
Closed Syllables: apron, tennis, bandit, velvet, bobbin, cat, dog, run
Open Syllables: over, basic, began, he, no, go