In the word 'blue,' which letters form the vowel team?

In the word 'blue,' which letters form the vowel team?

• A. ea
• B. oo
• C. ai
• D. ue

Answer: (D)

A vowel team is two vowels that work together to produce one vowel sound. In blue, the letters u and e sit next to each other to make the long U sound /uː/. Together they form a single vowel sound rather than two separate sounds, so the word is pronounced with one clear vowel sound: /bluː/. The other two-vowel pairs listed can make different sounds in other words (for example, ea, ai, or oo), but they don’t spell the long U sound in blue. So the pair ue is the correct vowel team here.

A vowel team is two vowels that work together to produce one vowel sound. In blue, the letters u and e sit next to each other to make the long U sound /uː/. Together they form a single vowel sound rather than two separate sounds, so the word is pronounced with one clear vowel sound: /bluː/. The other two-vowel pairs listed can make different sounds in other words (for example, ea, ai, or oo), but they don’t spell the long U sound in blue. So the pair ue is the correct vowel team here.