Vowels for kids: a, e, i, o, u

Vowels for Kids in English and Hindi with pictures

5 words · tap 🔊 to hear each one.

Picture	English	Hindi	Say it	Listen
	A for Apple	A से Apple, सेब	Apple	EN 🔊हि 🔊
	E for Elephant	E से Elephant, हाथी	Elephant	EN 🔊हि 🔊
	I for Insect	I से Insect, कीड़ा	Insect	EN 🔊हि 🔊
	O for Octopus	O से Octopus, ऑक्टोपस	Octopus	EN 🔊हि 🔊
	U for Umbrella	U से Umbrella, छाता	Umbrella	EN 🔊हि 🔊

Vowels for kids begin with five letters: a, e, i, o and u. Every English word needs at least one vowel sound, so these five letters are the glue that holds words together. On this page your child taps each vowel, sees a picture word (Apple, Elephant, Insect, Octopus, Umbrella), and hears it in clear audio in English and Hindi. Then a gentle game asks them to find each one. It is free, with no sign-up and no ads.

What are vowels for kids in English?

A simple way to define vowels for kids: vowels are the letters you say with your mouth open, when the air comes out freely without your lips, teeth or tongue stopping it. Try it: say "aaa" and "ooo" with your mouth open. Now say "p" or "t". Your lips or tongue block the air. Those blocked sounds are consonants.

So how do you explain vowels to a child? Try: "Vowels are the singing letters. You can sing them for a long time: aaaaa, eeeee. Every word needs at least one singing letter." The other 21 letters are consonants.

The letter y is a part-time vowel. In "yes" it acts like a consonant; in "my" and "happy" it makes a vowel sound. Most teachers mention this only in class 1 or later.

Short vowel and long vowel sounds

Each vowel has two main sounds. Children learn the short sounds first, because those are the ones in the first words they read (cat, hen, pig, dog, sun).

What is a short vowel for kids? It is the quick sound a vowel makes in a small word like "cat". What is a long vowel? It is when the vowel says its own name, as in "cake" (a says "ay") or "kite" (i says "eye"). Long vowels usually come in class 1, once short vowels are secure. This table also works as a vowels chart for kids with examples.

How to use the vowel game

Listen

Tap each vowel card. It shows the capital and small letter and a picture, and the voice says the letter and word, for example "E, Elephant, हाथी". After each tap, say the short sound yourself and stretch it: "eeeh-lephant". Your voice makes the vowel sound clear.

Find it

Golu asks for a word, like "Where is the octopus?", and your child taps a card. There is never a "wrong" message; the game names what was tapped, makes the right card glow, then points. At the end a marble goes into the Goli Jar. Tap the jar and count the marbles together.

Use the अ+A button to choose English only, Hindi then English, and so on. Settings (behind a grown-up check) let you set your child's age, which changes the number of choices, and switch on calm sound, calm motion, captions or high contrast. Progress is saved on your device and the page works in any browser.

How to teach vowels to kids at home

Five minutes a day is plenty. Here is a gentle order that works for LKG and UKG children.

1. Know the five names. Sing them to a tune your child knows, such as "Old MacDonald": "A, E, I, O, U, these are vowels, it's true!"
2. One short sound a week. Start with /a/ (apple, ant, cat), then /i/ (insect, pig), /o/ (octopus, dog), /u/ (umbrella, sun) and /e/ (elephant, egg). Many teachers leave /e/ for last because it sounds close to /i/.
3. Hear the middle sound. Say "c-a-t" slowly and ask "What sound is in the middle?" This is the key skill for reading three letter words.
4. Swap the vowel. Change one vowel to make a new word: pan, pen, pin, pot? Children love the silly ones ("pun!").
5. Missing vowel game. Write c_t on paper and ask which vowel makes a real word. Try b_s, p_g and h_n.

How to remember vowels

Use a hand trick: hold up one hand, and each finger is a vowel, from the thumb (a) to the little finger (u). Or make up a silly sentence: "An Elephant In Orange Underwear". Children remember silly things best.

Kitchen vowel hunt: find an egg (e), an onion (o), an apple (a). Say each word slowly and ask which vowel sound starts it.

Vowels vs consonants for kids with examples

In "dog", d and g are consonants and o is the vowel in the middle. In "sun", s and n are consonants and u is the vowel. Most small English words follow this consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, which is why vowels matter so much for reading. Our phonics sounds page covers the consonants in the order schools teach them.

Hindi vowels (swar) and English vowels

Hindi also has vowels, called स्वर (swar): अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ. Children in India often learn these first. The good news is that the idea is the same: vowels are the open, singing sounds. Some English short sounds are close to Hindi ones: English /i/ in "pig" is close to इ, and /u/ in "put" is close to उ. But English /a/ in "apple" is not the same as अ or आ; it is a wider sound made with the mouth open and slightly smiling. Practise "apple", "cat" and "bat" in front of a mirror. You can learn the Hindi swar on our Hindi varnamala page.

A related tip for Indian families: v and w are consonants, not vowels, but they are often mixed up. For v, top teeth touch the lower lip; for w, the lips make a round circle with no teeth.

Vowels for toddlers, LKG and UKG

For toddlers (2-3): no need to teach vowels by name. Sing, stretch sounds ("mooooo"), and read picture books together.

For nursery (3-4): listen for first sounds, and enjoy vowel rhymes and songs.

For LKG kids (4-5): learn the five vowel names and short sounds with pictures.

For UKG and class 1 (5-6): hear the middle vowel in CVC words, read short words, and meet long vowels. A vowels worksheet for UKG kids can be as simple as filling the missing vowel in five picture words.

Vowel activities, crafts and a chart to print

• Vowel house craft: draw five houses and put one vowel on each door. Cut pictures from old magazines and "post" each picture to the house of its first vowel sound.
• Vowel flashcards: write the five vowels on cards in a bright colour and consonants in another colour. Build words by putting a vowel between two consonants.
• Vowels quiz: call out easy vowel words for kids (apple, egg, ink, ox, up) and let your child hold up the right card.
• Print a vowels chart: there is no separate PDF, but you can print this page. The word list above prints as a vowels chart for kids with pictures.

Encouragement, frustration and every kind of learner

Short vowel sounds are hard even for adults learning English, so be patient. Praise effort ("You listened so carefully for the middle sound!"), and stop the moment your child seems tired. For children with a speech delay, pointing is a complete answer. Autistic children may enjoy the steady five-card set; keep the routine the same. Bilingual children may use Hindi vowel sounds in English words for a while; this is normal and fades with listening. If you have concerns about hearing or speech, talk to your paediatrician.

Screen time: under 2, children learn best from people and real objects. For ages 2-5, keep sessions short, play together, and keep total screen time to about an hour a day.