link to reading and spelling link to reading comprehension link to math link to gifted/LD link to older learners page link to contact information

 

 

 

 

 

Resource Room Store: Drill Bits



Home > Reading and Spelling Lessons & Word Lists> Word Lists Index >OU list

 

Words with OU saying "ow!"

Teach this by discovery, after the OY/OI combination -- dictate simple  "ow" words, student being fully aware that they are spelled "ow," and let it be noticed how many words end in ow... but it's not the end of the word, it's the end of the syllable that matters. There are exceptions here -- but the exceptions also follow discoverable patterns. If a word ends in w or l or n, it almost always keeps the "ow." If a student needs a possible reason, I postulate that a word like "towel" is spelled with two syllables, but we talk so fast it turns into one -- so while towel still has that e, many other words have dropped it. They can discover those patterns, too.

This is a comprehensive reference list, in alphabetical order - just as the "oy/ oi" list was.

Hands On Activity:  Make an index card with 4 of each kind of word, without their ow's or ou's, like so:
 
 

b _____ cl_____d

Make pieces of cards with "oi" and "oy" on them, like so:
 

oy

 Have the student put them together.  This is a place where you could put 'boil' and 'loyal' together, because the second 'a' in loyal indicates that another syllable is starting.

Some students overgeneralize that if the next letter is a consonant, it's oi; if it's a vowel it's oy.  That doesn't work for words like boycott or oyster.  Make sure you have words like boycott in the exercises and discuss the patterns, and where the syllables divide.



These are in alphabetical order.

OU Words  (that sound like the ou in out)
abound account accountability accountant
aloud amount announce announcement
around arouse astound avouch
background blackout blouse bough
bounce bouncer bound bounder
bounty bountiful bout burnout
carouse carousing catamount cloud
cloudy cloudiness clout co-founder
compound confound couch council
counsel count countenance counteract
countermand counterpart counterpoint countess
crouch delouse demount denounce
devout discount dismount doubt
doughty dour douse dropout
drought dumfound OR dumbfound (either spelling is right) encounter enshroud
espouse expound flounce flounder
flour flout foul found
founder foundling foundry fount
fountain gadabout gouge gout
grouch ground grouse grout
handout holdout hour house
hound impound insurmountable jalousie
joust jounce knout loud
lounge louse lousy lout
 

CONTINUED...

miscount pronounce mispronounce mound mount
mountain mouse mouth noun ounce
ours oust ouster out* .outrage
outstanding paramount plough pounce pound
pout pouch profound pronoun pronounce
propound proud rebound recound redounder
renounce resound round roustabout rouse
rout route scoundrel scour scout
scrounge shout shroud slouch snout
sound sour souse south spouse
spout sprout stout surmount tantamount
thou  thousand tousle tout trounce
trousers  trout vouch vouchsafe wound

*and many words with out- as a prefix -- outback, outgun, outshine, outplay...

 

 

Copyright © 1998-2003, Susan Jones, Resource Room/Team Prairie, LLC. All Rights Reserved.