As a language expert with a focus on linguistics and phonetics, I'm well-versed in the intricacies of the English language, including the various combinations of letters that form sounds. When it comes to the question of what vowel blends are called, we're discussing a specific type of digraph.
A digraph is a combination of two letters that together represent a single phoneme, which is a unit of sound in a language. In English, digraphs can be either consonant digraphs or vowel digraphs.
Consonant digraphs are combinations like sh, ch, th, wh, ck, ph, and ng. These pairs of letters work together to produce a single consonant sound, such as the "sh" sound in "shoe" or the "ch" sound in "church."
On the other hand, vowel digraphs are combinations of vowel letters that also represent a single sound. The examples you've provided include ai, ay, ee, ea, ie, ei, oo, ou, ow, oe, ue, ey, ay, oy, oi, and au, aw. These combinations are often used to represent long vowel sounds or diphthongs, which are complex vowel sounds that begin with one vowel and glide into another.
However, the term you're looking for, which refers to these combinations of vowel letters, is not typically called a "vowel blend" in linguistic terminology. Instead, they are simply known as vowel digraphs. The term "blend" might be more commonly associated with the blending of sounds in a word, rather than the specific term for a two-letter combination that represents a single sound.
It's important to note that not all combinations of vowels in a word are considered digraphs. For instance, in the word "receive," the combination "ee" is not a digraph but rather two separate vowel sounds that are pronounced individually. In contrast, in the word "feet," the "ee" combination functions as a digraph, representing a long vowel sound.
Understanding digraphs is crucial for reading and spelling in English, as they can significantly affect the pronunciation of words. For learners and educators alike, being familiar with these patterns can help in decoding unfamiliar words and improving literacy skills.

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A digraph is two letters that spell one sound. Digraphs that spell consonant sounds include the letter pairs sh, ch, th, wh, ck, ph, ng. Digraphs that spell vowel sounds include the letter pairs ai, ay, ee, ea, ie, ei, oo, ou. ow, oe, oo, ue, ey, ay, oy, oi, au, aw.Feb 1, 2010read more >>