The ability to recognize letter patterns that create short vowel sounds will help in reading many simple words. According to Reading Horizons (see Reference 2) a short vowel sound happens when a vowel is in between only two consonant letters and when two consonant letters follow a vowel. Examples of these two skills include the words "cat" and "sand."
Recognizing letter patterns that create long vowel sounds is a more complex skill. Reading Horizons suggests that a long vowel sound occurs when a word has a vowel and ends with a silent "e," ends with a vowel or has two vowels next to each other. However, the Phonetic Reading Program from California (see Reference 3) identifies more areas where long vowels are present. Examples of long vowel words include the words "cape," "see" and "bleak".
The Phonetic Reading Program from California lists the ability to identify patterns where consonant letters blend as a phonetic reading skill. This pattern occurs when two consonant letters are next to each other in a word and join together to create a sound. Examples of blended consonant words include the words "vast," "slam" and "sand."
Other instances exist when two consonant letters create completely different sounds when placed together in a word. In some cases, one of the two letters may even become silent. Examples of words that contain changing consonant sounds include the words "church," "knife," "wreck" and "ship."