Color Vowel® Chart

English Language Training Solutions (ELTS) is the publisher, distributor, and exclusive professional development provider for The Color Vowel® Approach and The Color Vowel® Chart, a visual-kinesthetic tool that helps learners identify, perceive and acquire the sounds of English. Learn more about our professional development programs, or order your Color Vowel™ Chart materials from our online shop.

What is the Color Vowel Approach?

The Color Vowel Approach is a language teaching method that harnesses visual, kinesthetic, logical, and musical learning strategies. Featuring the Color Vowel Chart as a compelling visual organizer for spoken English, this unique research-based approach help teachers and learners bridge the gap between spoken and written English. Our exclusive workshops and other training options ensure that teachers understand and know how to implement the Color Vowel Approach in their everyday teaching practice.

What is the Color Vowel Chart?

The Color Vowel® Chart is a visual organizer for the prosody that characterizes spoken English. Each color represents a vowel sound. For example, GREEN is the high front vowel /iy/, as found in the words “tree” and “teacher”. Similarly, BLUE represents the high back vowel /uw/, as found in the words “clue” and “student.” In this way, each color word serves both as a key word and a visual cue for a specific stressed vowel sound. Explore our audio-interactive Color Vowel™ Chart to hear each sound.

“One of my favorite things about the Color Vowel™ Chart is the way that it visually brings attention to the differences among the English vowels– differences that students may not be able to hear.  –-Jody Gabler, ESL Instructor (New York)

What makes the Color Vowel Chart special?

Instead of using phonetic symbols to represent vowel sounds, we refer to the ‘color’ of the vowel sound in question. Every vowel sound is clearly and simply represented by a color key word phrase (GREEN TEA /iy/, BLUE MOON /uw/) which is easy to remember and is intuitive for all age groups and levels.

Combined with the Color Vowel Approach and our Color Vowel Games, the Color Vowel Chart serves as a visual anchor for a learning experience that increases phonological awareness for teacher and learner alike. With phonological awareness, learners can take the individual words they have learned and transform them into the expressive working vocabulary they need for life long learning and success.

Who uses the Color Vowel Chart?

Originally created in 1999 by Karen Taylor at the University of Maryland College Park and subsequently co-developed with Shirley Thompson at George Washington University, the Color Vowel™ Chart is now used by teachers, speech therapists, pronunciation/accent trainers, reading specialists and other language-based professionals across the US and around the world. The U.S. Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs distributes the Color Vowel® Chart to English teachers outside the U.S. through Regional English Language Officers. In addition, U.S. Peace Corps TEFL Volunteers are trained with the Color Vowel Chart. The Color Vowel™ Chart is used in hundreds of TESOL, ESL and literacy programs across the United States, including:

K-12 Schools use the Color Vowel Chart

• Aurora Public Schools (CO)
• Bloomington Public Schools (MN)
• Boise School District (ID)
• Cape Girardeau School District (MO)
• Christina School District (DE)
• Des Moines Public Schools (IA)
• District of Columbia Public Schools (DC)
• E.L. Haynes Public Charter School (DC)
• Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)
• Mason Crest Elementary School (VA)
• La Mariposa Montessori School (NM)
• Lyon County School District (NV)
• Mead School District (WA)
• Milwaukee Public Schools (WI)
• Montessori de la Condesa (DF, Mexico)
• Norwalk Public Schools (CT)
• School District of Oconee County (SC)
• Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD)
• Portland Public Schools (OR)
• Prescott Valley School District (AZ)
• Pueblo City Public Schools (CO)
• Seattle Public Schools (WA)
• Springfield Pubic Schools (IL)
• State College Area School District (PA)
• Tacoma Public Schools (WA)
• Topeka Public Schools (KS)
• Washington County Public Schools (MD)
• West Fargo Public Schools (ND)
• Worcester County Public Schools (MD)
• Yuma School District (CO)

 Adult ESL Programs use the Color Vowel Chart

• All Souls Unitarian Church ESL Program (DC)
• Anne Arundel Community College (MD)
• Berkeley Unified School District Adult Education (CA)
• Carlos Rosario Adult School (DC)
• Central New Mexico Community College (NM)
• Chemeketa Community College (OR)
• Columbia Gorge Community College (OR)
• The Durango Adult Education Center (CO)
• Edmonds Community College (WA)
• Emily Griffith Technical College (CO)
• Estrella Mountain Community College (AZ)
• Front Range Community College (CO)
• Garden City Community College (KS)
• Hartford School District (VT)
• Howard Community College (MD)
• Intercambio Uniting Communities (CO)
• LaGuardia Community College Center for Immigrant Education & Training (NY)
• Lancaster Bible College (PA)
• Lea County Correctional Facility (NM)
• Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (NM)
• Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MD)
• Montgomery College ESL Program (MD)
• Montgomery College Refugee Training Center (MD)
• Murray State University ESL Program (KY)
• Northeast Alabama Community  College Adult Education (AL)
• Northern Virginia Community College (VA)
• Oakton Community College (IL)
• Pinellas County Schools (FL)
• Port Angeles School District (WA)
• Portland Community College (OR)
• Prince George’s Community College (MD)
• Rockville Senior Center (MD)
• Santa Fe Community College (NM)
• South Central Kansas Education Center (KS)
• Washington English Center (DC)
• Washington Literacy Center (DC)
• Wichita Learning Connection (KS)
• Wisconsin Literacy Council (WI)

 Universities use the Color Vowel Chart

• American University TESOL Program (DC)
• Bringham Young University Hawaii (HI)
• University of California Los Angeles (CA)
• University of California Merced (CA)
• California State Polytechnic University (CA)
• Central Michigan University (MI)
• Clark College (WA)
• University of Colorado Denver (CO)
• Colorado Mountain College (CO)
• University of Connecticut (CT)
• Cornell University (NY)
• Defense Language Institute (TX)
• University of Delaware (DE)
• University of the District of Columbia (DC)
• Ferris State University (MI)
• George Mason University (VA)
• Georgetown University (DC)
• Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (TX)
• Kansas State University (KS)
• Maryland English Institute, University of Maryland (MD)
• Michigan State University (MI)
• Missouri State University (MO)
• Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (CA)
• The New America College (CO)
• New Mexico State University (NM)
• New York University (NY)
• Ohio State University (OH)
• Oklahoma State University (OK)
• Oregon State University (OR)
• Oregon University (OR)
• Panama Bilingüe at American University (DC)
• Perdue University (IN)
• University of Oklahoma (OK)
• University of Oregon (OR)
• Samford University, English Language Learner Institute (AL)
• Santa Fe University of Art & Design (NM)
• Savannah College of Art & Design (GA)
• University of South Carolina (SC)
• University of Southern Florida (FL)
• Texas A&M University (TX)
• Univ. of Texas-Pan American English Language Institute (TX)
• Tokyo International University of America (OR)
• Vanderbilt University (TN)
• University of Victoria (Canada)
• Western Michigan University (MI)
• Xavier University (OH)
• Yale University (CT)

 Language Schools use the Color Vowel Chart

• California College of Communications (CA)
• Confident Voice (FL)
• English Now! (DC)
• English Speaking Success (CA)
• Evergreen Academy (VA)
• Kaplan International (DC)
• Lado Institute (DC)
• Washington English Center (DC)
• The Whittaker Group (MA)

Learn more about the Color Vowel™ Chart on our Explore page.  Order classroom materials in our shop.