Vowels and Consonants in English
There are 26 letters in the English Alphabet:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
A letter can represent a vowel OR a consonant.
There are 5 vowels in English:
A, E, I, O, U
There are 21 consonants in English:
B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z
All words in English have a vowel.
NOTE: The letter Y is special. Sometimes Y is a consonant (has a consonant sound) and sometimes a vowel (has a vowel sound). I explain this in another lesson.
Examples of vowels and consonants in words
Dog
D is a consonant, O is a vowel, G is a consonant.
Eat
E is a vowel, A is a vowel, T is a consonant
Cake
C is a consonant, A is a vowel, K is a consonant, E is a vowel
Pie
P is a consonant, I is a vowel, E is a vowel
Unicorn
U is a vowel, N is a consonant, I is a vowel, C is a consonant, O is a vowel, R is a consonant, N is a consonant.
Summary Chart
More advanced English
For information about vowels and consonants, see our following articles:
What is the difference between a vowel and a consonant?
Is the letter Y a vowel or a consonant?