Sometimes, the letter y is a consonant, and other times it is a vowel. The rule for telling the two apart is simple: The letter y is a consonant when it is the first letter of a syllable that has more than one letter. If y is anywhere else in the syllable, it is a vowel.
Examples of Y as a Consonant
- yes
- yam
- yell
- yellow
- yogurt
Examples of Y as a Vowel
- gym
- my
- cycle
- baby
- hairy
- sky