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Open and closed syllables are part of the six syllable types in English that help students decode and spell words accurately.

Understanding these syllables builds a foundation for phonics, word recognition, and fluency.

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Closed Syllable: A syllable that ends in a consonant; the vowel sound is usually short.

Examples: cat, sun, hop, picnic

Open Syllable: A syllable that ends in a vowel; the vowel sound is usually long (says its name).

Examples: he, go, robot, music

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Gives students predictable patterns for decoding.

Supports spelling accuracy and builds confidence.

Strengthens reading fluency and comprehension by making words more accessible.

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Resource Bank for Teaching Open & Closed Syllables: Tools, Activities, & Strategies

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Resource Bank for Teaching Open & Closed Syllables: Tools, Activities, & Strategies

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Interactive Word Sorts

Provide word cards (mix of open/closed).

Students read aloud, then place them on a T-chart (“Open” vs. “Closed”).

“Make it Open, Make it Closed” Game

Teacher gives a base syllable

Students add or remove a consonant to change it: me → men.

Builds flexibility and shows how meaning & pronunciation shift.

Interactive Notebook Foldable

Create a flapbook with “Open Syllables” on one flap and “Closed Syllables” on the other.

Students add examples, drawings, or sentences under each.

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A syllable is a word or part of a word with one talking vowel sound.

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Open and Closed Syllable Activities - Pencils to Pigtails

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Open and Closed Syllable activities can help your students decode longer multisyllabic words. Increase engagement with differentiated ideas!

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Learning to read and write open and closed syllables is a foundational skill for multisyllabic decoding. Learning to read part of a word helps students break down longer words into more manageable chunks and assists students in discovering patterns in spelling words. Teaching and giving students practice working with open and closed syllables is a must for creating successful readers.

Open syllables happen when there is a vowel at the end of the syllable. The vowel makes a long vowel sound, like the word robot. The first syllable, ro, has a long o. Here are a few more examples

Closed syllables happen when there is a consonant at the end of the syllable. The vowel sound in the syllable makes a short vowel sound, like habit. The first syllable, hab, has a short a. A few more examples include:

There are exceptions to these rules, but they occur often enough that it is beneficial to explicitly teach the concept to students. I don't necessarily teach my younger learners the names open and closed syllables, but instead, teach and give practice about the concept.

There are six different syllable types, but open and closed syllables are the easiest to teach and learn. Hundreds of words can be read and written with a basic understanding of open and closed syllables. Knowing these syllable types will help students be a better speller, but also better readers.

It is also a foundation for multisyllabic reading. Larger words are built off the smaller chunks of two-syllable words. When reading and spelling multisyllabic words, students should be able to break the word apart into syllables and then decipher each syllable independently to build the word.

Like reading, teaching open and closed syllables is great for spelling. Words that have a double consonant are often difficult to spell. Students only hear one of the consonants when spelling. However, if students are taught that a short vowel is followed by a consonant, they will learn that mit/ten must have two "t's" in the word.

I created a product to help my students master reading two-syllable words and then created a complimentary product for open and closed irregular syllables. The Open and Closed Syllables sets have over 12 different activities and games to use during small group reading or for independent reading activities. All the games and activities focus on students reading and breaking apart words into syllables.

Irregular syllables don't follow standard decoding practices. Examples include able, ible, tion, ance, etc.

The two sets of syllable work have similar components and include the following resources and activities:

Anchor Charts

Syllable Cards and Word Cards

Sorts

Read Words by Syllables

Fluency Strips

Break Apart into Syllables

Puzzles

Cut & Paste

Roll & Spin

Match Missing Syllable

Flip Books (great for Interactive Notebooks!)

Board Games

Coloring Sheets

Answer Keys are included for all worksheets. Below are a few descriptions and photos from the Open and Closed Syllables packet.

Open and Closed Syllables: Missing Syllables

In this activity, students match the missing part of the syllable to create a complete word. You can laminate the cards, cut them apart, and put then them on a ring to make it all a bit more organized. Color coding the cards and missing syllable would help, too. Print the missing syllable on colored paper and add the same colored mark to the picture card.

The missing syllable cards are designs so that, when possible, the text is justified based on whether it is the first or second syllable of the word. This will also help students see patterns in the syllables.

Open and Closed Syllables: Puzzles

My students love working with puzzles. There's just something about then that makes an activity ten times more engaging. The pieces are such that it is easy to see which is the first and second syllable based on the type of puzzle piece.

Open and Closed Syllables: Roll & Spin

Since there are two parts to the words, this roll and spin game is a perfect addition to any reading station. Students spin the spinner for the first syllable and roll the dice for the second syllable. Put the two together and figure out if it is a real word! This is a great activity to help with spelling as students are expected to write down each syllable then put the word together.

Open and Closed Syllables: Syllable or Not Syllable

This worksheet is a great way for your learners to discover patterns within syllables, namely that a syllable has to have a vowel. It also helps students familiarize themselves with common syllable chunks.

Open and Closed Syllables: Match the Syllables

Like the above worksheet, this one deals with syllable chunks. Students match the missing part of the word to the given part then write the whole word on the blank space. Not only does this focus on becoming familiar with a variety of chunks of words, but it also helps students put the two parts together into the word.

You can purchase either set of the syllable games and activities on my website or on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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Open and Closed Syllables Games and Activities

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Learning to read and write open and closed syllables is a foundational skill for multisyllabic decoding. Learning to read part of a word helps students break down longer words into more manageable chunks and assists students in discovering patterns in spelling words.

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Closed and Open Syllables Decodable Book and Activities

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Closed and Open Syllables Decodable Book and Activities

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What others say

"Love this resource. I have purchased so many of these to match the Ufli phonics skill taught They are amazing and students love reading them ! Follows Ufli scope and sequence "

This resource was originally created to support my beginning readers in a small skills group working on UFLI lesson 66: open and closed syllables. It includes an easy-to-print decodable book, corresponding running record, a word work page and answer key, and a writing prompt page to support comprehension of the decodable book. This resource is black-and-white for printer-friendly use.

Save even more with bundles

This bundle includes every decodable book and their corresponding activities I have created as of June 2024. The bundle currently includes 35 books. All books are aligned with UFLI, including books to go with the following lessons:35: Short a and Nasalized a36: Short i37: Short o38: Short a, i, o

$20.00 Price $20.00 $33.00 Original Price $33.00 Save $13.00

This bundle aligns with UFLI lessons 63-68: Reading Longer Words. The phonics skills covered in the included resources are:-es-ed-ingOpen and Closed SyllablesCompound WordsClosed/Closed SyllablesOpen/Closed SyllablesThe bundle includes an easy-to-print decodable book for each of the phonics skills a

$5.00 Price $5.00 $6.00 Original Price $6.00 Save $1.00

This first grade bundle contains 72 different decodable books aligned to all of the UFLI lessons suggested for first grade. Each decodable book comes with a running record, word work page to practice phonics concept, and a writing prompt page. There are printable black-and-white decodable stories an

$60.00 Price $60.00 $91.00 Original Price $91.00 Save $31.00

Reviews

Rated 5 out of 5, based on 1 reviews

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Closed and Open Syllables Decodable Book and Activities

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This resource was originally created to support my beginning readers in a small skills group working on UFLI lesson 66: open and closed syllables. It includes an easy-to-print decodable book, corresponding running record, a word work page and answer key, and a writing prompt page to support comprehe...

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Nicki Winter clearly explains open and closed syllables through the interactions between dogs.