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2: Consonant Sounds and Spellings
2.20: The Consonant Sounds [w] and [y]

2.20: The Consonant Sounds [w] and [y]

Last updated

Jun 15, 2022
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- 2.19: The Consonant Sounds Voiced and Unvoiced <th>
- 2.21: The Consonant Sound [r]

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Overview of the Consonant Sounds [w] and [y]

Examples

You can hear [w] at the beginning of wet.

You can hear [y] at the beginning of yet.

Review

Underline the letters that spell [w] and [y] in these words:
$\begin{align*} & \text{warm} && \text{yours} && \text{yearly} && \text{would}\\ & \text{swimmer} && \text{woman} && \text{toward} && \text{yowl}\\ & \text{yard} && \text{rewind} && \text{quick} && \text{square}\\ & \text{beyond} && \text{words} && \text{twinning} && \text{young} \end{align*}$

Sort the words into these groups:

Words with the sound ...
[w]:		[y]:

Sort the words with [w] into these two groups:

Words with [w] spelled ...
<w>:		<u>:

In all six of the words that contain [y], the [y] sound is spelled ________.

Show Answer

$\begin{align*} & \underline{w}arm && \underline{y}ours && \underline{y}early && \underline{w}ould \\ & s\underline{w}immer && \underline{w}oman && to\underline{w}ard && \underline{y}owl \\ & \underline{y}ard && re\underline{w}ind && \underline{qu}ick && s\underline{qu}are \\ & be\underline{y}ond && \underline{w}ords && t\underline{w}inning && \underline{y}oung \end{align*}$

Words with the sound ...
[w]:		[y]:
warm	quick	yard
swimmer	twinning	beyond
woman	would	yours
rewind	square	yearly
words		yowl
toward		young

Words with [w] spelled ...
<w>:		<u>:
warm	words	quick
swimmer	toward	square
woman	twinning
rewind	would

In all six of the words that contain [y], the [y] sound is spelled <y>.

Explore More

Word Scrambles

If you unscramble the letters in each of the words below and fit them into the boxes, you will spell five other words that all contain the sounds [w] or [y]. We have given you a start by filling in the letters that spell [w] or [y] in each of the words you are trying to spell:

Show Answer

rods - w o r d s

sour - y o u r s

moan - w o m a n

relay - y e a r l y

boned - b e y o n d

Spelling [w]

Examples

You can hear the sound [w] at the beginning of the words word and weather.

Review

1. Underline the letters that spell [w] in the following words:

$\begin{align*} & \text{waffles} && \text{sweaty} && \text{witness} && \text{welfare}\\ & \text{afterward} && \text{weirdest} && \text{weather} && \text{twinkle}\\ & \text{waitress} && \text{swallow} && \text{reweighed} && \text{sweetheart}\\ & \text{between} && \text{wisdom} && \text{unwillingly} && \text{notwithstanding}\\ & \text{waltzes} && \text{unworthy} && \text{twentieth} && \text{twelfth} \end{align*}$

Analyze each of the words as directed in the formula. Key: ‘BB’ = Bound base, ‘FB’ = Free base, ‘BS’ = Bound stem, ‘FS’ = Free Stem, ‘P’ = Prefix, ‘S’ = Suffix:

Word	Formula	Analysis
2. waffles	FB+S	waffle + s
3. afterward	FS+S	after + ward
4. waiters	FB+S+S
5. between	P+BS
6. waltzes	FB+S
7. sweaty	FB+S
8. weirdest	FB+S
9. swallowing	FB+S
10. wisdom	BB+S
11. unworthy	P+FB+S
12. witness	BB+S
13. weathered	FS+S
14. reweighed	P+FB+S
15. unwillingly	P+FB+S+S
16. twentieth	FS+S
17. welfare	BB+FB
18. twinkling	FS+S
19. sweetheart	FB+FB
20. notwithstanding	FB+FB+FB+S
21. twelfth	BS+S

22. Now sort the words into the following two groups:

23. In those seven words in which the [w] is not at the front of an element, it is part of a consonant cluster. Do these clusters come at the front of elements in these words? ___________.

24. When [w] is spelled <w>, the <w> either comes at the ___________ of an element or it is in a consonant cluster that comes at the ___________ of an element.

Show Answer

1. $\begin{align*} & \underline{w}affles && s\underline{w}eaty && \underline{w}itness && \underline{w}elfare \\ & after\underline{w}ard && \underline{w}eirdest && \underline{w}eather && t\underline{w}inkle \\ & \underline{w}aitress && s\underline{w}allow && re\underline{w}eighed && s\underline{w}eetheart \\ & bet\underline{w}een && \underline{w}isdom && un\underline{w}illingly && not\underline{w}ithstanding \\ & \underline{w}altzes && un\underline{w}orthy && t\underline{w}entieth && t\underline{w}elfth \end{align*}$

Word	Formula	Analysis
2. waffles	FB + S	waffle + s
3. afterward	FS + S	after + ward
4. waiters	FB + S + S	wait + er + s
5. between	P + BS	be + tween
6. waltzes	FB + S	waltz + es
7. sweaty	FB + S	sweat + y
8. weirdest	FB + S	weird + est
9. swallowing	FB + S	swallow + ing
10. wisdom	BB + S	wis + dom
11. unworthy	P + FB + S	un + worth + y
12. witness	BB + S	wit + ness
13. weathered	FS + S	weather + ed
14. reweighed	P + FB + S	re + weigh + ed
15. unwillingly	P + FB + S + S	un + will + ing + ly
16. twentieth	FS + S	twent y + i + eth
17. welfare	BB + FB	wel + fare
18. twinkling	FS + S	twinkl e + ing
19. sweetheart	FB + FB	sweet + heart
20. notwithstanding	FB + FB + FB + S	not + with + stand + ing
21. twelfth	BS + S	twelf + th

22.

Words in which the [w] is ...
at the front of an element		not at the front of an element
waffles	witness	between
afterward	weathered	sweaty
waiters	reweighed	swallowing
waltzes	unwillingly	twentieth
weirdest	welfare	twinkle
wisdom	notwithstanding	sweetheart
unworthy		twelfth

23. In those seven words in which the [w] is not at the front of an element, it is part of a consonant cluster. Do these clusters come at the front of elements in these words? At the front.

24. When [w] is spelled <w>, the <w> either comes at the front of an element or it is in a consonant cluster that comes at the front of an element.

Other Spellings of [w]

The three spellings of [w] are <w>, <wh>, and . The spelling <w> always comes at the front of an element or in a consonant cluster that comes at the front of an element. The spelling usually comes after the letter <q> and sometimes after the letters <g>, <s>, or . The spelling <wh> is sometimes pronounced [wh], sometimes [w].

It is not surprising that [w] is often spelled : The letter <w> was originally just two s run together, <uu>. That is why <w> is called “double-.”

Examples

Dictionaries usually give us a choice as to how we should pronounce <wh>: either [hw] or just [w]. You might check yourself: When you say whale, does it sound exactly like your pronunciation of wail? Or do you hear a little puff of air in front, a soft [h]? Hundreds of years ago, whale was spelled hwāl, and the <h> was pronounced [h]. But in time the spelling changed, probably to make it more like the other clusters <ch>, <gh>, <sh>, and <th>. The spelling changed, but the pronunciation more or less stayed the same. Over the centuries that [h] has tended to get lost. That is why dictionaries usually show two different pronunciations for <wh>: [w] and [hw].

Review

Underline the letters that spell [w] in the following words.
$\begin{align*} & \text{awhile} && \text{request} && \text{quantity} && \text{qualities}\\ & \text{acquaint} && \text{quotation} && \text{quizzes} && \text{squirrel}\\ & \text{distinguish} && \text{language} && \text{whistle} && \text{frequently}\\ & \text{persuade} && \text{pueblo} && \text{earthquake} && \text{squeeze}\\ & \text{everywhere} && \text{somewhat} && \text{equation} && \text{question}\\ & \text{acquire} && \text{which} && \text{overwhelm} && \text{whizzed} \end{align*}$

You should have found two different spellings of [w]. Seven words have the first spelling; seventeen have the second. Sort the words into the following two groups.

Words with [w] spelled...
way #1	way #2

Look at the seventeen words in which [w] is spelled . In each one mark the letter that comes right in front of the that is spelling [w]. You should have found four different consonants that come before the . The first of the consonants is in thirteen of the words; the second is in two words, and the third and fourth are in one word each. Sort the words into the following groups.

Words in which the <u> follows <q>:

Words in which the <u> follows...
<g>	<s>	<p>

Show Answer

$\begin{align*} & a\underline{wh}ile && re\underline{qu}est && \underline{qu}antity && \underline{qu}alities \\ & ac\underline{qu}aint && \underline{qu}otation && \underline{qu}izzes && s\underline{qu}irrel \\ & disting\underline{u}ish && lang\underline{u}age && \underline{wh}istle && fre\underline{qu}ently \\ & pers\underline{u}ade && p\underline{u}eblo && earth\underline{qu}ake && s\underline{qu}eeze \\ & every\underline{wh}ere && some\underline{wh}at && e\underline{qu}ation && \underline{qu}estion \\ & ac\underline{qu}ire && \underline{wh}ich && over\underline{wh}elm && \underline{wh}izzed \end{align*}$

Words with [w] spelled...
way #1	way #2
awhile	acquaint	quizzes
everywhere	distinguish	earthquake
somewhat	persuade	equation
which	acquire	qualities
whistle	request	squirrel
overwhelm	quotation	frequently
whizzed	language	squeeze
	pueblo	question
	quantity

Words in which the <u> follows <q>:
acquaint	quizzes	frequently
acquire	earthquake	squeeze
request	equation	question
quotation	qualities
quantity	squirrel

Words in which the <u> follows...
<g>	<s>	<p>
distinguish	persuaded	pueblo
language

Explore More

Word Histories. One set of homophones with [w] is weather, whether, and wether. Weather comes from an Old English word that meant “Weather, storm, wind.” It is related to the words wind and window. A sentence that can help with the <w> spelling: “The wind and weather came through the broken window.”

Whether, as in “I don't know whether to go or not,” comes from an Old English word that is closely related to words like what, why, which, when, all of which contain the <wh> spelling.

The rare wether “a male sheep” comes from an Old English word that is related to the word veterinarian. Notice that neither veterinarian nor wether have an <h> or an <a> among the first three letters.

Overview of the Consonant Sounds [w] and [y]

Examples

Review

Explore More

Spelling [w]

Examples

Review

Other Spellings of [w]

Examples

Review

Explore More

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