Irregular Rimes - Hot Cereal  

What

Irregular rimes are words that do not follow phonetic rules and are not high frequency words. 

Analytic phonics recognizes that a single syllable word has two parts: onset and rime. 

In the word most, m is the onset and ost is the rime.  Based on phonetic rules, the "o" would have a short sound.   In this case, it does not follow the rule, therefore, it is called an irregular rime. 

Why

Without automatic recognition of irregular rime words, the student will not be able to read at a steady and fluent rate.  The goal is to see and say a word in less than one second.

How

My Breakfast Reading Program introduces y and w as vowels and irregular vowel patterns  based on rime families (ay, ost, ear, ight, etc...) using the sight word method.  These irregular rimes are presented in Lessons 23 - 53 as illustrated in Table 1.

Lesson 29 introduces 80 irregular long vowel sound rimes based on 5 rime families using the analytic phonics method.  Lesson 30 introduces 39 irregular short vowel sound rimes based on 5 rime families using the analytic phonics method.

Repetition, repetition, repetition. 

 

 

 

Table 1 : Irregular Vowel Patterns

Irregular Vowel Pattern Lesson Rime Families Example
y and w as a vowel 23  - 24

25

26 - 27

ay

y

ow

bay - day

cry - fly - spy

bow - low - row - show

Irregular a - short/long 28

29

ance

eigh - ey

dance - chance - glance

weigh - sleigh - hey - they

Irregular e - short/long 30

31

32

33

34

ead

edge

ief - ield

ealth

ence - ense

dead - head - bread - thread

pledge - ledge - pledge

brief - chief - field - shield

health - wealth

fence - sense - tense

Irregular i - short/long 35

36

37 - 38

39

40

41

42

inge

ince

ight

igh

ild - all

ind

ye

tinge - hinge - cringe

wince - since - prince

knight - light - bright - sight

sigh - high

mild - wild - call - fall

kind - grind - blind

aye - dye - eye - rye

Irregular o - long or oo 43

44

45

46

47

48

o - oo

old

oll

olt

ost

own

no - so - pro - boo - do - to

bold - cold - sold

poll - roll - scroll - stroll

bolt - colt - jolt - volt

host - most - ghost

known - thrown - blown

Irregular u - short 49

50

51

udge

ough

ove

budge - fudge -  judge - smudge

rough - tough - slough

glove - dove - love

Irregular R Controlled 52

53

ore

arge - ear

more - sore - score

barge - large - bear - pear