AI Tutor
Imagine running into a giant word like neighborhood or disappointment in the middle of a chapter book. If you try sounding out every single letter one by one, your brain gets stuck in traffic.
The secret is spotting vowel teams, where two or more letters join forces to make a single vowel sound. A diphthong is a special kind of vowel team where your mouth glides from one vowel sound into another, like the /oi/ in coin or /ou/ in shout.
How do you break down a huge word when vowel teams are hiding inside it?

The 3-Step Decoding Strategy

Every spoken syllable has exactly one vowel sound. Since a vowel team acts as a single sound unit, you keep the entire team together in one syllable.
First, spot and underline all vowel teams. Next, split the word into syllables between consonants or around affixes, then blend the chunks together smoothly.
What should you do when a vowel team can make more than one sound?

Flexing Tricky Vowel Teams

Some teams change their sound depending on the word. When you read an unfamiliar word, try the most common sound first, and if that doesn't make a real word, flex to the alternate sound.
Are two vowels side-by-side always on the same team?