When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking

"When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" is a rule used when teaching English-speaking children that says that when there are two vowels in a word the first one has the so-called "long" sound of the vowel (or alphabet name), and the second one is not pronounced.

For example, in train the a has the so-called “long a” sound and i does not sound. The same happens for each, die, goat, and rescue.

Unfortunately, this rule is false 60% of the time. Counterexamples: pause, head, chief, out, biscuit.

The first one does the talking

 * "ai" /eɪ/:
 * Exceptions: said /sd/ - again /əˈɡen, əˈɡeɪn/ ;


 * "ee" /iː/: agree - between - deep - degree - fee - feed - feel - free - green - indeed - keep - meet - need - screen - see - seek - seem - sleep - speech - speed - street - tree - week
 * "oa" /əʊ/:
 * "oe" /əʊ/: goes - heroes - potatoes - toe - tomatoes
 * Exceptions: shoe - does (verb) - canoe


 * "ue" /(j)uː/: blue - clue - continue - due - value

Mixed results

 * "ea"
 * /iː/:
 * /e/:
 * /eɪ/: break - great - steak
 * "ei"
 * /iː/: ceiling - conceive - receipt
 * /eɪ/: eight - neighbour - weigh


 * "eo"
 * /iː/: people
 * /e/: leopard
 * Both vowels do the talking: video - theory


 * "ie"
 * /aɪ/: lies - fried
 * /iː/: chief - field


 * "ui"
 * /(j)uː/: bruise - fruit - suite
 * /ɪ/: biscuit - circuit
 * /uːɪ/: altruism - fluid - ruin - suicide
 * /wɪ/: anguish - liquid - penguin - quick

The rule doesn't work

 * "au"
 * /ɔː/ cause - author
 * /eɪ/ gauge


 * "oo"
 * /uː/ school - goose
 * /ʊ/: foot - good


 * "ou" /aʊ/: about - mouth
 * Exceptions: soup - through; could - should - would; country - double
 * Rule works for soul, but it is better to teach "ou" as a phonogram, and therefore soul is an exception.

Both vowels do the talking
With a little imagination, instead of exceptions the following patterns are examples of rules for diphthongs.


 * "ew" /(j)uː/: few - flew - new
 * "oi" /ɔɪ/: choice