Free schwa sound worksheets

The schwa is the lazy vowel of an unstressed syllable: the a of about, the o of lesson, the e of problem, the i of pencil, the u of circus. It is a short "uh" that carries no stress and almost disappears, written in dictionaries as an upside-down e. It is the most common vowel sound in English, and the main reason English spelling looks unpredictable, because any vowel letter can spell it and the ear cannot say which. These eight worksheets teach it in the order it has to be taught: find the stressed syllable first, then look at what is left.

What's in this set

1. What is the schwa? An explanation panel with the symbol, then twelve two-syllable words. Six (about, lesson, problem, pencil, circus, sofa) come with the stress shaded and the schwa letter underlined; six (wagon, zebra, ribbon, button, away, carrot) are for the child to mark. Answer key.
2. Find the stress, then the schwa. Twelve words split into syllables with a check box under each. Check the stressed syllable, then write the schwa letter. Three words (about, away, alone) are stressed on the second syllable. Answer key.
3. Schwa spelled with a. Ten words where a makes the schwa (about, around, banana, sofa, alone, away, zebra, extra, soda, salad), each written into a sentence. Answer key.
4. Sort the schwa: e, o, i, u. Sixteen words into four columns, four each: problem, garden, chicken, open; lesson, wagon, ribbon, button; pencil, pupil, April, fossil; circus, album, cactus, walrus. Answer key.
5. Say it two ways. Eight words in the careful spelling voice and then the everyday voice: chocolate, camera, family, separate, different, every, vegetable, favorite. Write the letter that vanished, then cover and spell it. Answer key.
6. Spell the hidden schwa. The related-word strategy: definition tells you definite needs an i. Ten words with a clue word and its stress marked (relate, compete, metallic, confide, narrate, invite, fantastic, hospitality, legality). Answer key.
7. Schwa in three-syllable words. Ten words (banana, president, elephant, Canada, telephone, alphabet, buffalo, paragraph, dinosaur, celebrate): mark the stress, underline every schwa, count them. Four have two. Answer key.
8. Schwa check: 20 items. Mark the stress and name the schwa letter in eight words, circle the schwa letter in six, write the letter you cannot hear in six more. Answer key.

Frequently asked questions

What is the schwa sound?

It is the vowel of an unstressed syllable: a quick, weak "uh". You hear it in the first syllable of about, the second of lesson, and the last of sofa. Phonetic alphabets write it as an upside-down e. It is the most frequent vowel sound in spoken English.

Which letters can make the schwa?

All five vowel letters, and the letter y: about (a), problem (e), pencil (i), lesson (o), circus (u), analysis (y). That is why the sound alone cannot tell a child what to write.

What grade is the schwa taught in?

Most programs introduce it in second or third grade, once children can divide words into syllables, and keep returning to it through fifth grade as words get longer. These sheets suit grades 2 to 5. Older students who still misspell separate, definite and vegetable benefit from sheets 5 and 6 on their own.

How do you spell a schwa you cannot hear?

Find a related word that stresses that syllable. Definition reveals the i in definite, relate reveals the a in relative, metallic reveals the a in metal. When no related word exists, as in pencil or circus, use the careful spelling voice and learn the word by writing it.

How do you find the stressed syllable?

Say the word with the stress in a different place each time and keep the version that sounds like real speech: PEN-cil, not pen-CIL. Clapping the syllables and clapping the loudest one twice as hard works too. Every sheet in this set has its answers on page 2.

More phonics and spelling practice

The schwa sits on top of earlier phonics, so make sure the short and long vowel sounds are secure first with the CVC words worksheets and the word families worksheets. Two-letter spellings that make one sound are covered on the digraphs worksheets, and the wider sequence on the phonics worksheets. For the words these sheets will show up in next, use the spelling worksheets.