What type of words includes 'this', 'these', and 'bath' typically fall under?

The words 'this', 'these', and 'bath' all contain short vowel sounds, which is why they are categorized under short vowel words. In linguistic terms, a short vowel generally refers to vowel sounds that are more relaxed and often less prolonged than long vowels. In 'this', the vowel sound can be represented phonetically as /ɪ/, while 'these' includes a long 'e' sound but can still lead to confusion with short vowels in some contexts. The word 'bath', depending on the dialect, usually features the short 'a' sound as /æ/.

Each of these examples clearly demonstrates the characteristic nature of short vowel pronunciations, emphasizing how critical vowel lengths and quality are in differentiating word categories in structured language education. Understanding these classifications aids in a student's grasp of phonetics and reading fluency.