100+ FREE Printable Long O Words List.

We cover all the Long vowel sounds here on Making English Fun, and this article will focus on the long ‘O’ sound, an essential component of English phonics.

This sound is crucial for students’ reading and spelling development and can be taught along side or in tandem with the other Long Vowel sounds to show students that although we have just 26 letters in English, there are 44 sounds to go with them – of which these long vowels make up another 5.

We offer a free, printable long O words list, a valuable resource for educators and parents alike. Make sure to download it at the end of this guide.

The Long ‘O’ Sound: Enhancing Reading and Spelling Skills

The long ‘O’ sound, pronounced /oʊ/ as in ‘bone’, is a fundamental vowel sound in English.

It is longer than its short O counterpart and appears frequently in various words, from ‘note’ to ‘remote’.

Mastering this sound can significantly improve reading fluency and spelling accuracy.

Understanding and practicing the long ‘O’ sound enables students to start to understand that English is a phonetic language and that although there are 26 letters in English, there are 44 sounds and that there are rules to learn to understand when these letter make certain sounds.

Long vowels help to teach this concept at an early age.

Exploring Long ‘O’ Spellings

The long ‘O’ sound can be spelled in several ways, each with unique characteristics.

Knowing these variations aids students in recognizing and applying the sound in different contexts.

We will cover the primary spellings of the long ‘O’ sound, providing a structured approach to learning this important phonetic element.

The Most Common Long ‘O’ Spellings

Here are the most prevalent spellings for the long ‘O’ sound, each bringing this vital phonetic component to life in words.

Common Long O Spelling Examples

Spelling	Examples
O	go, so, no, solo
O-E	bone, stone, alone, phone
OA	boat, coat, road, float
OW	show, slow, snow, grow

Now, let’s look into these categories with more examples.

Long O as in ‘go’

When ‘O’ stands alone, especially in one-syllable words, it often produces the long ‘O’ sound. It’s straightforward and is one of the first variations students learn.

O as in ‘go’ Table of Long O Words

go	so	no	solo
pro	fro	though	echo
hobo	logo	promo	photo
potato	yogurt	most	Tony

Long O-E as in ‘bone’

This spelling pattern features the silent ‘E’ at the end of words, which prompts the ‘O’ to pronounce its name, the long ‘O’ sound.

O-E as in ‘bone’: Table of Long O Words

bone	stone	alone	phone
home	cone	robe	note
vote	pose	rose	close
hose	cove	nose	hole

Long OA as in ‘boat’

In this configuration, ‘O’ teams up with ‘A’ to consistently deliver the long ‘O’ sound.

This Long O sound word combination is common in English and is a key pattern for students to learn.

OA as in ‘boat’: Table of Long O Words

boat	coat	road	float
toast	coach	moat	groan
loan	foam	soap	boast
toad	oat	oak	goat

Long OW as in ‘show’

Here, ‘O’ pairs with ‘W’ to articulate the long ‘O’ sound. This spelling is particularly versatile, appearing at the end of words or in the middle however it can also be tricky as it can also say a /oo/ sound as well.

OW as in ‘show’ Table of Long O Words

show	slow	snow	grow
throw	below	mow	row
elbow	window	shadow	meadow
bowl	low	crow	tow

Less Frequent but Equally Important Long O Spellings

Beyond the primary spellings, there are a few additional ways the long O sound appears in words. While not as common, these are important for a thorough understanding of this vowel sound.

Long OE as in ‘toe’

This less common spelling is straightforward, with the ‘E’ following the ‘O’ to create the long O sound.

OE as in ‘toe’ Table of Long O Words

toe	doe	foe	hoe
woe	roe	oboe	shoe

OU as in ‘soul’

Another variant is the OU combination, which can represent the long O sound in some words though it is very rare and more often says /ow/ like in now.

OU as in ‘soul’ Table of Long O Words

soul	mould	shoulder	boulder
poultry	smoulder

There are other rare spellings of the Long o sound, often borrowed from other languages but they are so rare, and so unlikely to be taught at this stage that we feel there is little need to mention them.

Ok, We will give you one as an example… bureau. but introducing words like these is going to cause more confusion than help when teaching Long O sound words.

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Practical Activities and Teaching Strategies

Engage students with these hands-on strategies to reinforce their understanding of Long O spellings:

1. Long O Spelling Bee: Organize a classroom activity focusing on words with different Long O spellings.
2. Multisensory Learning: Create word collages or use clay to form Long O words, catering to different learning styles.
3. Long O Bingo: Develop a bingo game using Long O words to make learning fun and interactive.
4. Writing Tasks: Encourage students to write sentences or short stories incorporating Long O words to apply what they’ve learned in context.

Consistent practice and different learning experiences will help students recognize and utilize Long O vowel spellings more effectively.

You can find our other long vowel word lists with all of there spellings from the links below.

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Integrating Long ‘O’ Learning into Everyday Teaching

Incorporate the Long O spellings into daily teaching to reinforce students’ learning:

• Highlight Long O words during reading activities and discuss their spelling patterns.
• Set up weekly spelling lists focusing on one Long O pattern at a time to deepen understanding.
• Encourage students to write creatively using a list of Long O words to enhance both literacy skills and creative thinking.

You can download the Free PDF Printable Long O Sound Word List from the link below for additional practice and reinforcement.

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You can Check out our long Vowel Resources below which cover all the Long vowel sounds.

• 50 Worksheet Workbook on long and short vowels.
• FREE Long and short vowels worksheets
• Sort the long and short vowel sounds worksheets
• FREE Long vowel Spelling Worksheets
• A, E, I O ,U – FREE Printable Long Vowel Word Lists

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Conclusion

An understanding and grasp of Long O spellings as well as Long vowel spellings and rules in general, is important for students to develop their phonics, and therefore reading skills.

Hopefully this Long O Word list is useful as are the other Free printable Long Vowel Word lists we have here on the site as well.

You can use these resources, activities, and strategies to enrich your educational approach and support your students’ learning journey.

Further resources

• https://thriveedservices.com/long-vowel-sounds-word-lists-activities
• https://literacylearn.com/long-o-vowel-sound-words
• https://www.fluentland.com/long-o-sound-long-o-words-list